Time - Part II
by Mistress Moitie
Summary: Sequel to "Time - Part I". Memories are hidden deep as Link is thrown into an unfamiliar reality, where he must fight unaware alongside the one person who cares for him most. References taken from a myriad of Zelda titles, although OoT in nature. Link/Male Sheik. Chapters will be posted weekly.
1. 1:00

Continuing directly after the events described in _**"Time - Part I".**_

Please read aforementioned story if you have not done so already. There are many allusions in this that will have a more, significant affect if you are familiar with Part 1.

The story is already finished on my end, so new chapters will be posted frequently.

* * *

_Bright light is all Link can see as he wakes._

_Finally, when it fades away and he regains his vision, he realizes where he is._

_The Temple of Time._

_He is terribly confused, and looks down at his body._

_Have seven years passed? It must have been a long time, he thinks, that he has been trapped here, for he is much taller and larger somehow._

_His head is cloudy and he struggles to remain conscious, and Link stumbles forward, not sure at all yet where he is going to._

* * *

There is no one at all in the Temple of Time as Link walks slowly down the cathedral-like hall.

The ceiling stretches on forever, reaching into darkness. His solitary footsteps echo and permeate off the cold stone walls. Light streams through the large narrow windows, suggesting early morning outside.

It is rather uncomfortable and all very silent, and Link thinks to himself that something isn't quite right.

He examines himself and notices muscles and a hardened body, and he wonders how he could have obtained such a physique while being trapped somewhere, asleep for all these years. He speaks a soft, "Hello?" which echoes throughout the room.

His voice is much lower than he was expecting.

He feels something quite odd then tugging at the inside of his brain, like cobwebs muddling its interior, and has an uncanny notion that there are things there, that he can't pull out to the front of his mind. It is almost like a dull ache, and Link squints and looks up as he mulls over this feeling. What began as nervous energy then starts to grow into an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach.

'_This is so odd.." _he thinks to himself. And he stands still in the entry way to the Temple of Time, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do.

A thoughts dawns on him then.

"Navi?" he questions aloud.

No fluttering of wings, no vocal response, nothing at all.

"Navi?" he yells louder this time.

The fairy is gone.

He looks all around him, twirling anxiously from side to side, front to back, even so much as running back into the pedestal room searching for any sign of his fairy friend.

He then notices something else, something quite strange indeed.

Walking forward he surveys the altar at which he had placed the Spiritual Stones, to open the doorway to the Master Sword, many years ago as a child.

And there were no such stones at all.

Link makes an expression that words cannot convey, a facial expression of such confusion and so many feelings compounding at once. He lifts a hand to his hair and grabs a bit of it, furrows his brows, scratches his head, and curses and then sighs dramatically, if all of that is possible in such quick succession.

A thought comes quickly into his head suddenly, and he has no idea where it came from, as he has never thought of it or said anything like it before. For some reason, he hears a voice along with it in his mind, a memory of a voice, from someone he cannot recall.

_'Past, present, future... The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river...'_

He stands still for a moment or two, thinking about this thought that came into his mind, until his mouth opens slightly for a quick breath of surprise and realization as he says aloud to himself,

"There has been a mistake."

* * *

The sky is bright and the grass and flowers grow healthily outside the temple, Link notices as he makes his way through the courtyard and down the steps to the market. Birds are chirping happily, butterflies fluttering about the flowers.

As he nears the lower level he hears many voices, yelling and creating quite a raucous.

In the center of the marketplace, he sees it crowded with many people. He walks slowly and quietly into the gathering, slinking through the bodies until he can makes it through to the front. The crowd seems to have made a large circle, leaving a somewhat wide space open in the center, where three people stand. A woman is one of them, wrists bound together.

He stands still and listens.

"This woman knows the entrance to the Sacred Realm!" says the male perpetrator.

The crowd murmurs, questions being asked back and forth between the surveyors.

A woman in the cluster speaks up. "How do you know this?" she asks loudly.

The man in the center walks confidently around the bound woman, eyeing her, then turns around again to face the crowd. "I have seen her speaking to the Golden Goddesses! She goes night and day to the fountain of the Great Fairy near the castle. I saw her just this morning myself, and as I listened to her she spoke of The Coming!"

Loud gasps and inaudible words echoed forth from the crowd.

A second man next to the bound woman grabs onto her, spinning her and shaking her violently. "Do you know of the Triforce, woman?!" he yells to her.

The woman sobs. "I am innocent!" she manages to say.

The man laughs. "You seek allegiance with the Goddesses in secret, speak with them even, while the rest of Market Town prays in hope for our lives? You are a spy!" He grabs her by her throat.

And as he rattles her, the crowd loudly dispenses onto the woman, smothering her with violence until she is seen no longer.

Link is left standing alone, now clearly visible to the two men who had begun the angry mob. He begins walking forward.

"Halt!" Link yells.

The violence continues.

"Stop this at once!" he yells again, this time making his way through the ravaging bodies, pushing them aside one by one, until he finds the broken woman in the center. She is badly hurt, bleeding and the beginnings of bruises show evidence of shattered bones. She remains crumpled and hiding in a ball on the ground, covering her face with her hands.

Link looks around in horror. "What is the meaning of this?!" he asks loudly in anger and crouches down to the young woman, checking for signs of life.

One of the men from before walks briskly over to Link and pulls him up and around, grabbing him by the collar of his tunic. "And who are you,_ forest boy_? Are you in with this woman?" the man asks with suspicion, loud enough for the citizens to hear.

Link quickly removes his sword from the sheath behind his back, and whisks it out, face-level and pointing straight in the eyes of the angry man, mere centimeters away. He stands firm, Master Sword outstreched.

The crowd gasps.

Link grabs the man's hands and rips them away from his tunic, and sizes him up. He twists his arm to the left slightly, and the sword glistens in the sunlight as it remains poised for action.

"This is no way to treat a woman."

The man laughs nervously, gulping.

"You _will_ release her," Link demands,and he shakes his head in disgust and dismay as he slowly turns around to pick the fragile woman up into his arms.

The man then notices a break in Link's defenses, and rushes forward and onto Link, but unsuccessfully, as in that very moment Link sees this, and he turns around to face the man, punching him hard in the jaw. The man goes reeling backward.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" the man yells, covering his mouth in pain. And the crowd again begins to get violent, but with one another, as everyone starts to punch and kick and yell.

Link turns back again to the woman, quiet amidst the fray, who is now sitting upright and holding her ribs in agony. She looks up at him, and in her reddened water-stained eyes, without words she expresses her sincerest gratitude for saving her life.

"Can you stand?" Link asks, outstretching his hand toward her. His blue eyes radiate and he smiles slightly, genuinely, the sun beaming from behind his form.

The woman quickly surveys her injuries. Quietly she says, "I can try."

And as she tries to stand, she finds she cannot. She topples over, but Link rushes in close and holds her. Without another question he lifts her up gently, and into his arms.

He looks at her, and she looks at him, and as she does so, she cries and touches his face with her right hand.

"You.." she begins, "You are so familiar to me. I feel like I know you, somehow.." she trails.

Link looks at her questioningly. "I do not think that is possible," he answers, softly. Yet the woman is odd to him too, with striking blue eyes that peer deep into his soul.

As he begins to walk with the woman in his arms, she speaks to him again, abruptly. "I need you to take me to my home, quickly. I have a child.."

"A child?" Link reaffirms. "Yes, of course." And he listens to her directions, silently escaping the mob, until they find a small door located in the sunny alleyway of the market. At this point Link has had time to digest all of the visual information around him, and he has noticed many different things about this place than before - it is the same, but it is not. Older, somehow.

As they enter the small, darkened room, Link notices a crib to the left, and a tiny sleeping form inside it. He then wonders how he will carry both this woman and a small baby out of Market Town. He eventually devises a plan, and puts the baby in the woman's arms and the woman in his own, and he carries them to the stables near the entrance to Hyrule Field.

The woman is in very poor shape, her weakness becoming stronger as each minute passes, and she sits, slightly falling onto a stack of hay. Link runs over to a horse and begins preparing it for the quick journey.

"We must ride to a healer. I cannot tell you it will be a pleasant experience, but you must sit behind me and stay strong," Link says in haste.

The woman nods slowly, incoherency taking hold. She tries to cradle the baby in her arms as best she can.

"The forest.." she manages out.

Link turns around to face her. "The forest?"

"Take me to the Great Tree. Please. You must... I.. don't have much time."

And Link knows just what she means, so he asks no questions in fear of the time that seems to be dwindling away, and placing the woman and child first atop the steed and then himself, they take off carefully to Kokiri Forest.

* * *

The sun had set and dusk had already enveloped the field once the trio had made it safely inside the forest. It had been a days journey and the woman was barely hanging on. It was a miracle.

In front of the Deku Tree, Link gently lifts the woman off the horse, setting her down to lay on the fresh grass, baby in her arms. Fireflies dance nearby in the tall grass, and all is peaceful here. Hidden in the depths of the forest, the area is preserved in a state untouched by time, and how this woman knows of it, he is unsure. He kneels down to her level, looking at her for a moment, and then at the baby. The child is quiet, large blue eyes open to the world, absorbing everything.

"L-Link," she stammers out.

"Yes?" he answers quickly, although very curious to know how she knows his name.

"His name is Link.." she continues. Her eyes are shut. "He.. will do great things for Hyrule, one day. Please.. take care of him for me." She smiles bravely as her face then contorts, visibly in much pain and suffering.

His eyes open wide, realizing then just who the woman is, laying on the grass beside him.

And as he tries to think of something to say, she fades from the world.

He reaches out to her face, and brushes his fingertips across her cheek.

_'Time passes, people move...' _he thinks to himself, the thought from somewhere subconscious.

He looks at her, blood-stained and battered, still clutching onto her baby's form, and he stands up and yells. He yells in anger, in confusion, in sadness. He grabs his hat, pulling down tightly on it, almost as if it could somehow cover him completely and take him away from this world.

He reaches down and picks up the baby, resting him in his arms. He looks at the child, and is fearful, for he knows not what would happen to one who comes upon their past selves. Regardless, the situation is what it is, and Link walks forward with the baby to stand in front of the Great Deku Tree.

"You must watch over this child!" he yells. "It is his mother's request!"

Silence.

He tries again. "Please!" He is feeling tired and defeated.

And more silence for a moment or two, until a tiny bright light appears near the leaves of the Great Tree and comes floating down, making its way to Link. It stops an inch away from his face, and he can make out fluttering wings and a tiny body.

"How is this possible?" the fairy speaks.

"Navi.." Link says.

The fairy backs up and puts a hand to her face. "You know my name, but we have not met before. For some reason though, I feel like I am destined to meet you some day." She bounces over to Link and talks into his ear. "But it is not _this_ day. The Great Deku Tree, he tells me that this is a child of destiny," she flutters close to the baby and then looking back up at Link says , "and yet, so were you. How strange."

"I could not agree with you more," Link replies.

Navi peers behind Link, to see the fallen woman on the grass.

"We will take the child, and he will grow up here, in the forest as a Kokiri."

Link thinks for a moment. "But he is not Kokiri.." he remarks, sadly.

Navi stares at Link for a moment, somehow, someway, understanding him. "He is, in spirit."

And so soon after the baby is then taken into the care of the Deku Tree and that of the fairies, Link and Navi and a few other forest sprites prepare the forest floor to lay the woman to rest. It is there, under the canopy of the tree nestled beneath the grassy knoll that she is placed, watching over her son as he will grow, buried in secrecy.

Link sits there for a moment, hand resting atop the freshly covered, earthy mound. He never knew she was buried here, in his time, if she even was. How much damage he is causing? He picks a yellow flower from beside him, and places it atop the soil resting place. He thinks then, what it would have been like to have known her, and he cries then at the thought, because he wonders with guilt if he could have done more to save her.

_'Not enough time..'_ he thinks. _'Never enough time.'_

* * *

_"Head into the Lost Woods and take the entrance into Goron City. From there you can make your way to Kakariko Village. There is someone there who posses a great deal of magic, and may be able to help you._

_Try not to talk to people on your way there, as your presence here may have negative effects. Good luck."_

Navi's advice is at the forefront of Link's mind as he steps into the Kokiri Village. How Navi knew of his predicament, he wasn't sure. But the fairies are otherwordly creatures, wise and intuitive. He walks, head bowed, avoiding eye contact passing the various homes and shops and people. Some of the Kokiri watch him in surprise, most scowl at the intrusion of a Hylian. They stop and stare silently as he treads onward, feeling their penetrative gazes at his back.

He enters the Lost Woods, and begins the lonely trek through the maze of passageways. Thankfully, he remembers them.

He reaches into his pouch, and feels an object that makes him stop and think.

_'My ocarina..'_

He pulls it out and looks at it for a moment. He learnt certain songs as a child, but one in particular came to his mind just then, from where he did not know. The melody tugs at him to be played.

He plays the first six notes, and stops.

_'How..'_ he wonders, _'how do I know this?'_

He plays the same six notes again. A feeling of déjà vu rushes over him, a feeling so strange it makes him cold all over. He notices then that he feels like he's waiting for someone to play those same notes back to him, in response. Yet there's nothing, and the silence weighs heavily, a sound in its own right.

He brushes the feeling off, for no answer could come to him, and he continues onward playing the melody that issues forth from the back of his mind.

He walks and he plays. The birds listen and chirp as the green-clad Hylian strides through the Lost Woods as if he has walked it in his sleep, filling the maze with notes from the Minuet of Forest.

Now Link is not usually the most introspective of sorts, but he has his moments, and in this particular one, he mulls over his current predicament. He is saddened by the loss he not too long ago experienced, the actuality of it not quite setting in, and is feeling very lonely. He wonders why he has aged but isn't seven years in the future. He wonders what time he is actually in. He saw himself as a child, his mother, so this must be..

_'Almost twenty years ago..?'_ he thinks.

He contemplates the seven years he spent unaware. What had happened to him then? He still feels that tugging at the back of his mind, that things are there just needing to be pulled out. He tries unsuccessfully, in between ocarina breaks, to shut his eyes and focus. Eventually he sighs and gives up, returning the ocarina to his mouth.

At the entrance to Goron City, he walks in slowly and quietly, sneaking his way through the corridors and the myriad of levels the city is built upon.

Some of the Goron people stop and look, wanting to speak, ask questions, but do not. Others continue rolling about their business. Link is thankful for most of their disinterest, for he does not want a difficult conversation. However he would very much like to stop and look at the Goron's city from many years ago.

Not too long after he arrives at the exit, he continues his path down Death Mountain Trail, heading towards the entrance to Kakariko Village.

He stops at one point, high on a cliff where the horizon spreads far beyond the eyes can see. He bites his lower lip and looks down as a thought came to him. _'This doesn't feel right.'_ And he wonders to himself that he shouldn't really be here - or shouldn't be in this time, more importantly.

He thinks then about Zelda, but quickly realizes she too would be an infant or worse yet, not even born. And there's no way the King of Hyrule will believe Link's ramblings of time travel gone wrong.

If he were even King at all.

The loneliness then penetrates his heart and subconscious, and making matters worse, this is when he finally arrives at the gate to Kakariko Village, finding all is not what it was.

* * *

Night-time stars are illuminating through the sky as Link, dusty and tired from his long walk, approaches the guarded entrance.

These are no Hylian Guards however.

Link walks hesitantly towards them, taking notice that they wear cloaks with daggers instead of armor and spears. Their mouths are covered.

He stands before the gate, and speaks through an opening between the metal poles.

"Excuse me.. Hello?" he asks, with trepidation.

One of the guards looks around curiously, and then focuses on Link's form standing on the other side. The guard walks over, and raises its spear in defense. Link raises his arms, signaling he means no harm. He wonders why they are so protective of the village, for how Link knows it and remembers, it was a small and simple town.

He is able to peer further on into the village, noticing tents and torches along with many small huts and homes, very different from the Kakariko Village he knew as a child. He sees many people sitting around fires, some even seem to be dancing. Music can be heard just slightly through the air.

"Who goes there?" the guard asks.

Link thinks of what to say.

"I am in need of food, shelter. I am just a traveler."

The guard lowers its spear, only slightly. Its head shifts to the right. "You will have to go elsewhere tonight, _traveler_."

Link furrows his brows and gazes to the left in thought.

"I can play music," he suggests, raising an eyebrow.

The guards look at eachother for a moment. They whisper. One of them shrugs.

"Don't cause any trouble," one says, and opens up the gate.

Link releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Downward he walks then, onto the steps leading into the village. He can hear the same music and now soft laughter, voices talking. The whole area is dark, but the festivities seem to light up the atmosphere. He can't help but notice however, that these aren't the Kakariko villagers he was accustomed to. Certainly not. He feels a little overwhelmed at that moment, the day and all that has preceded it thus far, settling in.

These people, he sees as he continues his walk into the busy area below, are tightly clothed, faces half covered - mouths hidden under fabric, wrapped loosely. He notices a large fire burning smoke and embers up into the sky from spaces between the crowd, and he makes his way towards it.

Some of the people begin to take notice of Link, as he can hear whispers and see mouths leaning towards others' ears in secrecy.

He suddenly feels as if the whole place knows he is there, and begins to feel unwelcome.

Out of nowhere, a hand grabs onto Link's arm and pulls him close.

"You're causing a scene.." the voice warns, without malevolence.

But before Link has a chance to respond, he is pulled through the crowd by the mysterious figure. They veer through the crowd, hypnotic music pulsating from instruments being played from somewhere further ahead.

He notices a crude bench near a smaller fire, and he is pulled towards it. He is forced to sit, and when he looks up, the figure is gone. A voice though, from behind him whispering into his ear, tells him otherwise.

"Sit and remain unnoticed," the voice says.

Link turns to see behind him, but the figure has already moved beside him, sitting down in close proximity. Red eyes glance at him from beyond lightly colored hair; they glow in the firelight. The figure quickly looks away as eye contact is met, and stares into the crowd, changing the subject non-verbally.

Link is nervous, his heart racing as he sits in a place among people unknown to him. The whole situation seems foreign to him. So he decides to sit and watch, quietly, as the figure suggested him to do.

He looks again to his right, and assesses warily. The figure is blonde, hair worn a bit longer, intense, red eyes covered mostly by the strands of it. The mouth is covered too, by fabric, which the same seems to also be wrapped around the arms, fingers, legs, and head. He looks at the figure's body, which is dressed in a very tight-fitting suit, deep blue. The figure is also definitely, male. On his chest..

The Sheikah. The eye.

Realization came crashing down on Link, as it dawns on him exactly whose company and village he is in. The Sheikah lived in this village.. years ago! He sits straight up, eyes opened wide, mouth closed tightly.

"Something the matter..?" the Sheikah asks without looking. He had brought out an instrument while Link was contemplating his situation, and is strumming it, nonchalantly.

"N-no.." Link manages out, but is halted by a tug in his brain. "That instrument," he starts and points toward the Sheikah, "what is it called?"

The other man stops playing, and holds the instrument in his hands higher, gesturing. "This?"

Link feels a slight pain in the middle of his head. Almost as if his brain is floating in murky water.

"Yes," Link says dazedly, "I've seen it before."

"That is odd indeed. For only few know how to play the lyre," the man replies quietly over the voices of the party.

"The lyre.." Link trails. He sits forward a bit, and motions towards the Sheikah. "May I see it?"

The man is very still for a moment. He locks gazes with Link, and stares deeply for a minute or two. He tilts his head, almost in affirmation to himself, and leans forward slightly as well, presenting the instrument. The Sheikah is quiet as he observes.

Link takes the lyre gently and holds it in his lap. He traces its shape with his fingertips. His face, lost in confusion and intrigue. Without a word, he takes the instrument in his right hand and cradles it, and with his left, he begins strumming notes.

The Sheikah's mouth drops open, but no one can tell. He swtiches gazes between the instrument, Link's hands, and Link himself.

Link plucks the strings with his eyes closed, his fingers moving by their own, playing a melody from a subconscious realm. The song he plays, bold and intense.

As he finishes, he stares back at the lyre and says almost to himself,

".. dedicated to the power of the heart.."

His eyes linger for a moment somewhere and nowhere at the same time, and finally he looks up, locking his gaze with the other man seated next to him.

The Sheikah waits for a minute, and says, " Matters of the heart..." He pauses and then adds, "The song you played.. a bolero? It is a powerful crescendo of emotions." He reaches towards Link and takes the lyre gently. "You should be careful who you play that to."

Link blushes, unsure why, and he changes the subject quickly, a bit uncomfortable.

"It's strange," Link murmurs, "I have never played a lyre before."

The Sheikah shift his legs up and underneath him, sitting cross-legged. He stares at Link. His expression is odd.

"Are you sure?" he asks in a lower tone.

"I... " Link trails, the Sheikah's tone eliciting an uneasiness within him. He then realizes they don't even know each other's names. He reaches a hand out cautiously. "I'm Link, by the way."

The Sheikah almost retracts a bit at the sudden gesture. "Link," he repeats, raising an eyebrow, the name slipping out, velvety. He takes hold of Link's outstretched hand, and places his own in it tentatively.

"Who am I?" the Sheikah asks Link curiously, staring at their hands, and then up at Link. He looked, unblinking. Forceful.

"Um.." Link stammers, unsure of how to answer such a strange question.

"I see," the Sheikah responds, an unreadable fleeting expression in his eyes. He hesitates a moment, seemingly thinking very deeply.

"You may call me Sheik."

"Sheik," Link repeats, closing his hand firmly around Sheik's.

He must have surprised the Sheikah with his grip, because the other man tenses slightly.

And after the moment when their handshake should have ceased, they remained, hands together. Link, eyes glazing over, brows furrowing. A look of deep internal thought.

"Sorry," Link says, releasing his grip, slightly nervous. "I was somewhere else, for a moment."

Sheik pulls his hand back slowly.

"Thank you-" Link begins, trying to cease the tension.

"It's not necessary," Sheik replies, for he knows that the other man was meaning to say.

A figure then walks up towards the two men sitting, and gestures towards Sheik.

"Sheik, it's our turn." A woman's voice.

Sheik stands up quickly, gracefully, and with a quick glance towards Link, he moves into the center of the crowd, disappearing. The woman looks at Link for a moment with an unreadable expression before following.

The woman and Sheik stand beside a large bonfire situated in the center of the party. Link, hesitant to be seated alone, gets up and moves closer to the crowd to see more clearly. He notices the woman has red eyes as well, but her hair is deeper in color, with more of an orange hue. Longer as well, as it comes over her shoulders on either side.

Sheik kneels low, one leg outstreched in front of him, the other in back, chest horizontal to the ground. His right arm extends out, palm facing upwards. He gazes upwards to the crowd.

"Midna and I would like to share a prophecy," he starts, white flame appearing in his hand.

The crowd is silent as some begin to sit around the crackling fire. And then, a lone instrument starts, an ancient, almost eerie melody.

The woman named Midna leans over and with her left hand, tantalizes the flame in Sheik's hand. It sparks and grows larger, and in it, something appears. An image.

"The Coming of the Hero of Time," he continues and opens his palm wider. The flame dances and then sits still, a figure appearing in the flame. Sheik finds Link's gaze through the crowd, and from his position, stares up and into Link's eyes. He keeps them there, penetrating.

And in the flame Link sees a warrior, dressed in green.

And Sheik looks at the traveler, dressed in green.

Not wanting to cause a stir of any kind, Link breaks eye contact and moves nervously out of the crowd and onto the sidelines, fading into the darkness of the village.

He can hear Sheik and Midna continue their tale, reminding the Sheikah's of the Hero's return and something called the Hyrulean Civil War. Link gathers that the Hyrule he is in now, is at war. With themselves.

Yet this "coming of the Hero of Time" wouldn't happen until seventeen or so years from now, _this_ Link knew, and the Sheikah tribe did not. However, he senses that Sheik may be aware of who he is, and he worries now, just how much trouble he could be in.

* * *

Chapters will be added frequently, so please follow this story for updates!

Also, I would love to hear from more of you, so please kindly leave me a message below.

Many thanks to those who reviewed Part I - you are appreciated.


	2. 2:00

Darkness permeates Kakariko Village as Sheik and Midna slip through the shadows. They make their way to her house, lit by a single torch, and quietly enter inside.

Midna removes her cowl, somewhat angrily.

"You're a fool, Sheik," she states.

Sheik untwists his arm wrappings slowly. He peers at her with one eye from the corner of the dim room. "You're the fool to believe Zant," he says slowly.

Midna sighs and walks closer to the other Sheikah. She reaches her hands downward and grasps at Sheik's own, pulling tight.

"You really think this so-called King of Hyrule will lead our land into peace? He cannot be trusted! Zant has said - " Midna is cut off as Sheik interrupts.

"Zant has said many things." He diminishes her thought with a quick wave of his hand.

"Zant is our leader, he will not lead us astray," Midna interjects.

Sheik releases her hands and paces. He goes back and forth across the room, hand under his chin, deep in thought.

He shakes his head. "Have you not seen how he has changed?"

Midna sighs in exasperation, arms shrugging. "How do you mean, Sheik?" she asks, feigning seriousness.

Sheik gestures with his hands, maniacal motions. "He is obsessed with a power he cannot wield! All he does is talk about the Sacred Realm, the Triforce and - "

"We need those things to stop the war!" Midna urges.

Sheik moves quickly to Midna, stopping close to her face. "No. Do you not understand?"

Midna stares at Sheik defiantly, but is unable to continue her anger because Sheik is, ultimately a friend. "I am going with Zant, Sheik. Most of us are. I would suggest you do the same."

Sheik sighs and looks down. He says nothing for a moment, staring off out a nearby window.

He says finally, "I will side with the King and wait for the Hero of Time, even if I do so alone."

"You and your prophecies," Midna teases. She walks towards a nearby table, and lights a lamp. She pauses there, hand resting on the wood. She waits for a moment, letting the fire simmer down between them. She then speaks again, with her back turned towards Sheik.

"Who were you with tonight?"

"A Hylian traveler," he answers after a moment.

"Hmmm.." She taps on the wood slightly. "He knows how to play the lyre..?" she asks, suspiciously.

Sheik sits down on a chair in a fluid movement and leans back, hand raised, fingers brushing against his lips. "It appears so," he answers.

Silence.

"Do you have an interest in him?" she presses, carefully.

"Should I?" he asks.

"He's very handsome.." she mentions. "Not that it would mean anything to you, of course." She peers at him, eyes searching, not fulling turning her head.

Sheik only stares from the dimness of the corner.

Midna looks over to him, and even though they are acquaintances, she still feels unnerved by Sheik at times. His aesthetic reminds her of a spider: eyes always watching, lithe but unbelievably strong, wise beyond compare.. a hunter in the dark. She always is suspicious that he is more trained - more skilled - than he lets on.

"I hear, he is staying here, for a time.." she continues, watching Sheik's reactions.

"I know," he responds from the darkness.

"And you do not find that a little odd - a Hylian finding comfort in the village of the Sheikah?" Midna presses.

Sheik leans forward. "Perhaps he does not fear us, like most who live in this land. Perhaps he finds comfort here where outcasts find solace, his judgment unclouded, opinions unswayed."

Midna tilts her head and eyes focus somewhere on the floor. "Do you believe he is not from here?"

"Oh no.. I do believe that he is," Sheik says softly.

And as Midna ponders this she gets a feeling, that there is something about to happen, something very profound. Something that has laid a seed in her gut, that will only continue to grow.

* * *

Link rotates his sword back against his left wrist, twirling it around, before slicing it through a makeshift target next to the armory. The impact sends jolts throughout his muscles and in that moment he feels a tiny sliver of happiness, for he can feel and fight, and even better so as an adult.

The Master Sword is quite large and very heavy, but he lifts it and wields it with ease. He stands there, making fast slicing motions through the air, and wonders why he feels no fatigue. He convinces himself then that all adults must have an untapped amount of strength, for he woke with it.

He notices a bow set out for practice, a rather large one, in fact. He is intrigued to try it, for as a child he knew only his boomerang and slingshot.

He picks up the bow with his right hand, grabs some arrows, and sets off to some targets nearby.

He stands, a little nervous, eyeing the target. He brings up the bow, loads an arrow with his left hand, readies the shot, and breathes. Squinting an eye he aims for the bullseye, pulls, and..

The arrow shoots through the air and lands, dead center.

Link stands in surprise. He scratches his head for a moment, ponders a bit, and readies the bow once more. This time, he decides to see how fast he can load the arrow and shoot consecutively without aiming for long.

He aims quickly, and releases mere seconds later.

In all of his concentration, he didn't notice the Sheikah man casually leaning against a nearby tree. Sheik walks to the target and pulls the arrows from the bullseye. He touches the holes made in the target with his fingertip, studying. "Not bad," he remarks.

He walks over to Link, handing him the used arrows.

Link takes them and laughs softly at himself. "I've never used a bow before."

Sheik looks at him for a moment. "Is that so?"

"Well, I have used other ranged weapons before but.. a bow like this, never." He holds the bow out, admiring it. "Hello Sheik, by the way." Link looks at him only for a second, before turning his attention back to the bow. A welcomed distraction.

"Hm," Sheik acknowledges, nodding slightly. He watches Link nervously toy with the weapon.

A few other Sheikah walk by, talking amongst themselves, peering at the two, disapprovingly. Sheik meets their hesitant gazes and narrows his eyes. Ignoring it, he turns again towards Link.

"Link," he continues, breaking the silence, "what about a Sheikah weapon?"

"A Sheikah weapon?" Link repeats, questioningly.

"These," Sheik says as he hands Link a few sharp items, "are throwing needles." He closes Link's fingers around them with his own. "I'm curious.. to see you try them."

Link reopens his hand, and stares at the shiny, yet dangerous objects. He looks at Sheik in dismay. "How exactly do I use them?"

"Aim," Sheik starts with his own needle in hand, "and throw." He lets go of the needle quickly, and the needle shoots into the bullseye. He looks back at Link, watching silently. He gave no more information.

Link takes a deep breath, and readies a needle of his own, aiming for the bullseye. "Here goes."

He throws, straight and true, and the needle lands beside Sheik's.

"How.." Link starts, trailing off in wonderment.

Sheik walks to the target, removing the needles, and walks up to Link before tucking them back away in his suit. He looks at Link in the eyes, pupils narrowing, following.

"Perhaps you were trained in the use of these, and do not recall it," Sheik trails.

Link stares at Sheik, wheels turning in his brain. The suggestion is odd, and it gives Link a most uncanny feeling, one which arises a nagging sensation in the depths of his subconscious. It is too hard to ignore, this feeling of surreal déjà vu.

"Sheik do I know you?" Link asks quickly, abruptly. "Have we met before?" His eyes are blue and alive with light and there is a flicker of something that dances across them.

Sheik seems surprised.

"Does it seem that we have?" Sheik answers, his gaze unwavering. A light visible there in his irises, something akin to a flicker of hope.

"I.. I'm sorry. I just had this strange sensation." He leans on a low wall beside him. "We only just met and since then I..." He stops for a moment and looks around the village, glancing at other Sheikah going about their daily routines. He speaks softer. "I mean, I am in a place unknown to me, yet I feel.." Link leaves his sentence unfinished, unsure of what he means to say. Unsure of what he is really feeling, altogether.

Sheik laughs soft and low, and leans beside him, keeping somewhat of a distance. "You feel.." he repeats, trailing off into thought, the words seeming to trigger a specific memory.

Link looks to his left and tilts his head as he looks at the Sheikah, mouth open as if to speak.

"I say that a lot, I suppose," he soon admits, folding his arms across his chest as he squints his eyes a bit in the sunlight, a breeze rustling his hair and his collar. He seems to regret speaking so openly, and brings up his defenses. "But feelings.. are dangerous," he adds. He looks around for a moment, unsure of where that saying had come from. It was unlike him.

Sheik stares off into the lightly cloudy sky and says softly, "Yes... they can be." His body tilts a little towards Link as he leans in a bit, and makes eye contact. "Most Sheikah believe that mind should always remain separate from the heart, for if the two collide it begins a series of unfaltering events." His eyes continue gazing straight through Link's soul. "It is interesting you believe the same."

"I do not know if I do, exactly. It is as if it were taught to me, long ago." Link stops and then laughs at himself, color rising to his cheeks. "Silly, actually. I do not think I could ever stop myself from feeling entirely." Link finds himself rambling to someone he hardly knows, and realizes this. "I apologize. You must have far more important things to do than listen to me carry on like this." He smiles, shrugging, and then returning his arms to their folded position across his chest. He kicks at some small rocks on the ground with his boot.

"There are some things, that are far too powerful to be ignored, and fighting the feeling for them can be an unwinnable battle," Sheik adds. "It can drive one to insanity."

Link smiles a bit. "So you are a Sheikah that can both fight _and_ feel?"

"I never said that."

"Ah but I think you did," Link says.

"You are right," Sheik starts, getting up from the low wall, "I do have far more important things to do." And with that he begins walking away, raising his right hand, waving a quick goodbye to the hero, dismissively.

Link remains leaning, watching the Sheikah disappear behind the armory, confused as to the sudden mood-swings the Sheikah provokes out from him. Wondering whatever gave him the notion, to tease another man.

* * *

The sun sets below Death Mountain as Link enters through the door. The room inside is dark, lit only by a series of candles placed along its interior, a long, decorated but tattered rug scaling its path, revealing a long hallway. He walks slowly, hearing the flickering of the flames and his soft footsteps against the fabric.

He reaches another door, and tries the handle. The doors are quite large and sealed from this entry point. He thinks for a moment, and begins to turn around.

"What are you doing here?" a voice asks.

"I seek audience with your leader," Link responds to the darkness.

Midna reveals herself from the shadows, stepping carefully, untangling herself almost as if it lives and breathes around her. She walks towards Link, and begins circling him, like he is prey to a hungry animal.

"Who are you?" she asks inquisitively.

He follows her with his eyes, head turning left and right as she continues roaming around him. "I am not important. I only have some questions -"

"If you are not important, then why do you have questions of such brevity?" she interrupts.

The woman makes him feel tongue-tied, and he thinks of how to respond to her questions without raising suspicion to his identity.

"I think," she continues, "you _are _someone of importance."

I think," she walks closer and stops inches from his face, "you hide here to conceal yourself and your true identity, and somehow you believe that we Sheikah will not -"

"You think too much," Link cuts in.

Midna smiles and raises her head back delicately to laugh quietly. She places her hands on her hips. "Cute," she remarks. "Funny _and_ attractive. How intriguing."

Link narrows his eyes and folds his arms across his chest. "Can you let me in?" he asks, losing his patience. "Please?"

"Oh.. I don't know.." she trails, raising intonation. "You ask so nicely."

"Yes, I can be a nice guy, if not pushed to my limits."

She brings a hand to his arm, and brushes her fingertips across his bicep, a whisper of a touch. "Limits," she begins and looks into his eyes, "are only an invitation to see how far they reach before breaking."

"Don't touch me."

"Oh," she brings a finger to her lips. "And feisty too."

Link stands and remains stoic.

"Okay.." she relinquishes, "have at it." And the doors somehow open, creaking, with Midna stepping to the side, ushering him in with a slight motion of her hand. Link sighs audibly and silently he praises the Goddesses.

She stands still, smiling, as Link walks forward, passing her into the room beyond. She follows then quietly, shutting the doors carefully behind them.

The interior seems to stretch beyond what light can illuminate, and Links walks on cautiously, eyes roaming to the ceiling and darkened areas cautiously. There are many columns supporting the architecture of the large room, and the same rug from before leads on to the distance, where a rustic yet elegant chair sits lonely atop a raised platform.

'Shadow..' he thinks as the darkness creeps upon him, engulfs him. 'It lives with them.'

Finally he makes it to the large steps before the throne, and he waits.

A figure is seated upon it, motionless. Embroidered fabric drapes the form, the sleeves long and flowing, reaching well past the fingertips. Contrary to the other Sheikah in the village, only the figure's mouth is visible, the rest covered by an elaborate headpiece. There are eyes carved onto it, and they stare unblinking, creating an unsettling aesthetic.

"So you are the traveler who takes his stay in our village?" The voice is not loud but its presence echoes throughout the chamber. "May I ask why you came here, and why you seek me out?" Threatening, no, but unsettling, just the same.

Link bows slightly, head lowering in respect. "I was told to see you, by the fairies who reside with the Great Deku Tree in the Kokiri Forest." He peers up.

"The Kokiri Forest," the man seated starts, punctuating, "so you may enter there and leave as you please? For I have heard," he breathes, "that any being who passes into that sanctuary may not ever see the outside world again."

Link remains silent, waiting, listening.

"You lost someone dear to you recently. I feel its sadness within you," the man states.

Link looks to the side, his lips firmer and set tight.

"Ah. Yet I sense it was a surprising set of events, those which were not meant to be experienced." The man sits up then, straighter, something dawning on him. "Events before your time, perhaps?"

Link's face tilting downwards, he looks up at the man, staring up through his lashes. He experiences a tingling sensation inside his head, like fingers looking through the drawers of his brain.

"You possess a skill, a skill which bends time to your will," the man thinks aloud. "And here you stand before me, dressed in green of the forest, eyes of the sky, sword on your back." He stops for a moment. "I must say, you really do look like the Hero of Time, but unfortunately for you...

"...It is not _your_ time at all." The man gazes at Link from his throne, and leans back against it once again.

Link feels an urge then to grab for his sword, feelings of urgency and violation, but he resists.

"And what name do you go by then, so we may speak as familiars?" Link asks.

The man looks fleetingly alarmed, as his ponderings are affirmed. Link suddenly feels nervous, as if he shouldn't be there, at all.

"I am Zant, leader of the Sheikah," he states, "and you, Hero of Time.." he continues, "are early."

Link takes a deep breath. "That is why I am here."

"And you would like me to return you home?"

Link narrows his eyes and shuts his fingers tight into a fist. "Yes. I have a destiny I must fulfill. There is no other way. You - you foresee it, I know that you can."

Zant shuts his eyes, bringing his fingers to his mouth in thought. "Yes, however.." he pauses, "that will require a great amount of strength and a great amount of sorcery to achieve. And the question is," he opens his eyes, "why should I do that for _you_?"

Link outstretches his palms, motioning for understanding. "Because you believe in the fate the Goddesses have foretold," he urges.

Zant sits tall, hands lowering to his lap. "And what if I do not?" His eyes scour Link's form, assaulting him.

Link steps back. "You.. walk your own path.." Not a question, but a curious realization, just the same.

"We all must forge our own path, allies.. enemies.. we are all the same. Individuals focused on a purpose, a means to an end. Unfortunately.. not all agree on those means.." Zant trails.

Link then feels the heat of the dragon's lair, the sensation of unwanted fingers creeping down his neck; the truth of where he now stands - not in the company of a friend - but in the company of one who would side with the Evil King, during his own time. Yes, this is a different time, yet danger lurks no matter where or _when_, you are.

Zant however is not an utterly cruel man, not at this point anyway, and he tells Link that he will ponder the situation and offer a solution. And while Link feels relief to hear this, the plans are not whole-hearted. For Zant is not a generous soul, and the only decisions he feels inclinations to make, are ones that are for his benefit alone.

* * *

Link dashes out of Zant's chamber, and once outside he stands for a moment, the cold air and the subtle moonlight encapsulating him. He takes a deep breath and tilts his head upwards to the sky, shoulders slumping, eyes gazing at the stars. He notices a rooftop, low enough to reach from his point on the multi-layered levels of the village, and he has a strong urge to climb atop it, to be closer to the twinkling lights so far in the distance above.

He reaches the center of the roof and sits, legs folded, arms relaxed in his lap. The breeze rustles through his hair and he closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of freedom brushing its wisps across his skin.

The village is very still, no sound except for insects chirping and the wind cutting every so often throughout the air. Link brings his head downwards then, staring at the rooftop and fiddling with his fingers. His conversation with Zant made him feel uneasy. Here he is, sent by the fairies to right the wrongs that has entered his life, yet in that moment he wonders, is there any help to be had? As a child Link had encountered many evil beings, and he knew only by one's presence its level of potential malevolence. He had felt that with Zant. It worries him now, that the Sheikah of Kakakiro Village may not be the answer, and he ponders sneaking out, aided by the darkness the night brings. But where would he go?

Link sighs, wishing for guidance; wishing for even his fairy to be here to perpetually nag at him. Even that would be a blessing.

He thinks then about his short stay at the village, and how none of the Sheikah besides one even acknowledges his existence among them. Most have turned a wary eye, not speaking nor looking; disapproving. He knew from meeting Impa back in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle when he was a child, that Sheikah were not the friendliest sort. And Link did not blame them for their cautiousness. Yet he figures the Sheikah are quite intelligent, and how they can not sense his good intent is beyond comprehension to him.

The one however, Sheik.. he has been the only one to notice his existence, going so far as even making light conversation and seeking Link's company out. He figures Sheik must be younger than most of the Sheikah who reside here. But is he innocent, naïve? No, hardly. Sheik looks upon him with a wisdom that far surpasses what Link can comprehend. Not only that, when Sheik makes eye contact, it's like he is peering into Link's subconscious. It is not a terrifying feeling, no.. and when he tries to pinpoint exactly what kind of feeling it is, the only answer he receives is a tingling up his thigh to his groin, which in response Link grabs his stomach, almost as if in pain.

He thinks of the Sheikah, and tries to understand him, the foreign feelings he projects; his mystery. He recalls asking Sheik if they had met before.' Stupid question', he says to himself and shakes his head. He feels drawn to him, but how could that even be? Whenever he finds himself around Sheik, he feels trust... he feels good. He is no stranger. And that is so very odd indeed, and it begins to raise questions within him that he doesn't know how to answer.

He mentally kicks himself for thinking about trivial matters when such larger ones are at stake.

"The stars have many stories to tell."

Speak of the devil.

Link looks up from his deep-in-thought stupor. Anxiety pools inside his stomach and his heart begins to race. "Sheik," he says and pats the space beside him. "Sit with me?"

Sheik says nothing, and stares for a moment at Link and the available spot beside him. How intensely he thinks then about such a small physical decision. He takes a deep breath, nods to himself as if making an agreement internally, and saunters slowly over, gracefully sitting beside the other man.

Neither speak at first, the silence both comforting and nerve-wracking.

Finally, Sheik says softly, "Do you wish to be alone?"

Link sighs deeply. "No," he says finally, along with an exhale.

Sheik gazes up at the sky. "Most Sheikah believe that the closer you are to the goddesses in the world above," he motions with a slight gesture to the stars," the closer you are to eternal wisdom and power... and courage," He brings his hand down, and rests it with the other behind him, leaning casually. "I do not suppose that is why you are here?" He turns his head left, and gazes at the hero.

Link chuckles softly.

"No.." Sheik continues, "you are already the bearer of one. Who needs all three?"

Link turns toward the Sheikah, eyes large and questioning.

Sheik outstretches a palm to hush Link. "It is fine, " he begins, "I know your secret."

"What will you do?" Link asks nervously.

"Nothing."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Only myself... and Zant, whom you just spoke to, as I understand." Sheik says this and glances at Link, his eyes radiating apologetic and filled with uncertainty.

Link shakes his head. "I was told to come here, to seek him out."

Sheik leans closer. "Perhaps Zant is not who they meant." His eyes penetrate.

"Sheik.." Link begins, his heart mustering the courage to continue, "tell me you do not know me. Tell me you have never seen me, nor spoke with me before." His eyes plead. He feels like a fool for going at this again.

Sheik winces, fighting something back internally. "Is that what you wish to hear?"

"No, I.." Link tries, "cannot stop feeling like we have met before." He reaches involuntarily.

Sheik looks at Link's hand and sighs, standing. "Us Sheikah have many qualities, Link," he lifts his right hand. "These qualities vary from Sheikah to Sheikah. Some obtain prowess in physical magic," he musters a black spark interlaced in his fingers, "others, supernatural physical ability," he crouches low, somehow closer to Link than before, "while a few, can leave this world, to the next," and Sheik touches Link, then disappears from sight.

Link focuses so much on the spot left tingling from the Sheikah's touch, that he hardly realizes the man has disappeared entirely. "Sheik?", he calls out.

Silence at first, and then..

"The graveyard," Link hears, Sheik's voice in his mind.

Link does not quite believe it, but he jumps off the rooftop, regains his footing, and jogs through the narrow opening of stone to the Kakariko Village graveyard not too far beyond.

Rain begins to fall as he cautiously enters, the smell of fresh wet earth and grass permeating his senses. He realizes then, that many of the graves he noticed as a child in the village, were empty; no plot nor headstone to speak of.

He hears a lyre in the distance, plucking notes barely audible through the pouring of rain. And then he spots Sheik by one of the only headstones, the largest, standing. He plays a song, that hurts Link's head. The pain is so great, so immense, that he grabs his temples and the bridge of his nose and applies pressure, willing it to cease. Yet with that pain, also a strong sensation, and he takes his ocarina. While squinting both from the wetness of the deluge and the unbearable mind-numbing headache, he lifts the instrument to his lips.

"A nocturne that draws you into the infinite darkness. A nocturne that absorbs even time.." Sheik speaks.

Link trudges forward, until he nears the Sheikah. "I know this song!" he yells through the rain and thunder. He shields his eyes.

"Then play it with me," Sheik also says loudly for Link to hear.

And Link falls to the ground then, on his knees before Sheik, ocarina to his lips; soaking from the rain.. and plays. It's as if his body is reacting separate from his mind.

He follows the melody, tears forming but unbeknownst, for they fell and mixed with the stream falling from the sky. And Sheik walks up to Link, standing while the hero still crouches to the ground, and waits.

Link finishes the last note, places his ocarina to the soil, and reaches out, hands running the length of the Sheikah's thighs. He feels, pressing hard, searching for an answer that evades his mind. Sheik stands still, letting the hero run his fingers along the wetness of his suit; he feels and rubs and oh the eagerness of these touches! Sheik bends over, grabs the back of Link's head with his right hand, and lifts him up, mere centimeters from his own face. Link's lips are moist and open slightly with uneasy shortened breaths. Sheik aligns his own, nothing but self-control and a piece of fabric creating a barrier between each others' mouths. He pulls his cowl down quickly from his face, and it hangs loosely across his neck. Link's eyes focus on Sheik's exposed lips and he puffs, his breath warm in the dampness of the downpour, and Sheik does this as well, fighting for his own breath. Their eyes interlock, expressions unreadable. Sheik continues his firm hold along Link's hat, grabbing hair as well, in between his fingers - Link trapped in a visual position of pain and.. something else.

"Hero of Time.." Sheik breathes, unsteady. So close.

Link grabs ahold of Sheik's forearm, which remains positioned still, hand yet keeping him bound in place. He grips tightly, squeezing. His expression, slightly frightened.

"Shei.." Link breathes, "Sheikah.."

And Sheik peers into his eyes and says, "I told you to learn to let go.." Remember.

Link's eyes tremble, confused.

"I don't.. I don't understand..." he trails. He looks for answers in the Sheikah man's eyes.

Sheik grips tighter. "Yes, you do." He shakes Link harmlessly. He repeats louder, "Yes you do!" Frustration, rain pouring down his face.

Link shakes his head, dripping blonde locks of hair sticking to his eyelashes and skin. He cries. "I haven't a clue about anything!" he starts, hand trailing up, gripping at Sheik's bicep, squeezing. "I do not know why I am here, I do not know how to get back.. Sheik.. I -" he drops as Sheik loosens his grip, and brings his head pressed to the other man's stomach, resting it there, his left arm wrapping around Sheik's lower backside.

Sheik pauses for a moment, letting the hero bury his head. His hand lifts, almost to rest on Link's hair, but stops himself. Instead, he lowers to his knees and lifts Link's face up with his hands. He looks into his eyes. "You are in danger, Link." He says this slowly, properly. He stares deep into Link's irises. "You are in danger and we need to get you out of here."

* * *

Many thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter, and thank you to those who may be stumbling across this for the first time. Constructive feedback or just a hello is always appreciated. I love hearing from you.


	3. 3:00

Link and Sheik run through the rain, out of the graveyard, to a small house near the back corner of the village. They hurry inside, drenched, shutting the door quickly but quietly.

Sheik walks wordlessly to a large dresser, only stopping to look behind him, lighting a small lamp with a flick of his fingers. It lights up the room softly, the glow flickering across the walls.

Link stands, shivering and wet, not far into the room. He watches Sheik gather items, not knowing what to say. He rubs his shoulders for warmth, and finally says, "Where are we going?"

Sheik does not look at him, but continues packing a small bag. "To the desert. There is a gateway there," he looks at Link only for a moment, "one which you can enter." He says so, matter-of-factly. He focuses again on packing, placing one last item inside. "Sleep now. We leave at daybreak."

Now Link is feeling many different things at this moment, confusion mostly directed at himself and his actions at the graveyard, and more confusion, directed at this sudden turn of events. "Zant.." he begins but does not make it through his sentence.

"- Zant wants the Triforce and the Sacred Realm," Sheik interrupts.

Link thinks and says, "The other Sheikah - "

"The other Sheikah are his allies. They side with him," Sheik answers.

Link steps forward, "And you - "

"I side with you," and Sheik turns toward Link, locking eyes, "Hero of Time." He stares for a moment, not breaking eye contact.

Link follows Sheik's gaze, staring intensely. "You and I against the world?" Link smiles roguishly, folding his arms across his chest. "I like those odds."

Sheik looks at the hero still, a heated gaze of pure rebelliousness radiating. He smiles too, unseen under his cowl, and then he drops the glance, returning to his preparations.

* * *

Link sleeps soundless on the bed, uncovered, sprawled out, chest rising and falling with every deep breath. His eyelids flicker left and right, body still, cast in the faint glow from the lamp on the tabletop.

Sheik paces, eyes on both the hero and the world outside the window.

_'So you are the child of destiny?'_

Sheik stands still, memories from another time yet again floating through his mind.

"Damnit," Sheik says aloud, softly. He brings a hand to his forehead.

_'Silly boy,' laments Sheik._

_'I know! I'm so sorry!' Link says, muffled into Sheik's shoulder._

_Sheik realizes their awkward positioning, and he sits up, removing Link's body from his own._

Sheik cries quietly in frustration.

_'A while ago, when I asked about these stars, you never answered me,' Link says, gazing up at the ceiling._

Sheik sits on the bed beside Link.

_'They're not real, I know that now.'_

Sheik lowers his head, bringing both hands to each temple.

_'I'm real.'_

Sheik lowers his head more, his hands covering more of his face.

_'I don't care about the Princess, I care about y-!'_

He squints his eyes, shutting them tight.

_'This cannot happen.'_

Sheik moans softly.

_'I thought, if I create a melody that has the power to transport me to another world, then maybe.. maybe someday I could return to you.'_

Sheik lifts his head and turns to look at the hero, sleeping beside him.

_'For when the time comes that one of us needs to return to each other quickly.. we'll play the Prelude of Light.'_

The melody dances throughout Sheik's mind. He lifts his left hand, and places it atop Link's thigh.

_'Sheik.. I have things I want to say to you.. things I need to tell you..'_

Sheik squeezes the hero's leg.

_'You mustn't.'_

And Sheik looks upon the hero, words from another place echoing throughout his brain. He traces with his eyes the outline of the sleeping form, from every strong muscle to the places draped in loose fabric. He imagines what lay underneath.

He brings his cowl down, and raises his fingers to his lips, feeling a ghostly sensation of the hero's lips, pressed against his own. The memory lingers there with him, desperation and desire, fleeting under unfortunate circumstances. Sadness. A finite instance, given a second chance.

'He cannot know,' Sheik justifies.

And Sheik wonders then how he himself knows, recollections of events he hasn't yet experienced. Recollections from a future time. How is that possible? He may be prophetic and have an unnatural intuitive sense, but such a strong inclination is a new sensation for him. Especially feelings of the intimate sort, which has been taught to him at an early age to be wary of. Such is the Sheikah way. And feelings for another man, for that matter.._ well_..

Sheik battles this interior monologue with himself, trying to make sense of something he began encountering the moment Link had walked into Kakariko Village the other night. The memories, the glances, the time shared, the physical interaction.. all too real. As soon as he saw him enter his life his entire mindset took on a new perspective; one of a mentor to this hero in green, a protector, a friend.. and possibly more.

Sheik makes a fist with his right hand, signaling strength to his being, control.

'He doesn't remember,' Sheik's inner voice reminds.

'He does,' Sheik's other inner voice urges.

'Your optimism will betray you..' the first voice responds.

And Sheik silences both, whilst taking another glance at the sleeping hero. Such was not a good idea, for the feeling that rushes then between his legs and into his core is too much; the arousal, too much. The fire engulfs him then, burning him; his mind, his heart, his throbbing appendage. He curses in an ancient tongue as he swirls in the midst of this, then standing quickly, he rushes for the door, exiting into the night.

* * *

Midna paces outside as she awaits the rest of the gathering of the Sheikah. It is nearly dawn, hazy brightness just discernible beyond the mountain tops. She feels an uneasiness, which she justifies as eager anxiety, as she watches those who appear and wait before her. Her stomach drops as more than a few minutes pass by, departure time having already passed, and the one whom she has hoped most would arrive, was no where to be seen. She bites her bottom lip and sighs angrily, scowling then and shaking her head in disappointment.

'Sheik', she thinks. 'You idiot.'

She musters up an attempt at a smile, and speaks to the crowd of Sheikah awaiting her.

"Today is the beginning of a new dawn for the Sheikah. No longer will we exist only in the shadows, no longer will we be inferior to the Hylian race!"

The large group cheers in unison.

"Today we depart into the desert, and together with our leader Zant, we shall claim the Triforce for our own!"

The entire village begins talking excitedly, but soon hushes as Zant appears behind Midna, atop a black steed. He sits still, saying nothing at first. He raises a gloved hand, making a tight fist in the air. "My Sheikah. Hyrule is at war. We have remained here undetected, however as soon as we leave these gates we will be subjected to the destruction that has befallen our land."

Knowing glances back and forth between the Sheikah people of the village. They are quiet now, hands holding tightly to their daggers and weapons of choice. Seeing all of these warriors of the shadows together, was truly a sight to behold.

"There is a power that rises to the north, a man who has intent to become the King of Hyrule. He is not to be trusted! But be relieved, my Sheikah, that you have chosen the right path. For I will lead us into a new age, where we are no longer servants but free people. The power of the Triforce and the Sacred Realm, the blessings of the Goddesses.." his fist becomes tighter, lowering close to his face, "are ours."

Zant lowers his focus down to Midna, standing beside him. Quietly and only to her he asks, "Sheik and the Hero of Time..?"

Midna sighs and turning only her eyes momentarily to the Sheikah leader she says, "They're gone."

* * *

Link and Sheik dart past the crowd, sneaking silently and quickly to the edge of the village. Sheik leads the way, motioning for Link to follow, as they soon reach the large gate separating the town from the fields of Hyrule. Link stands for a moment in awe of the structure, for before in his child years the gate had been small and open to whomever wished to enter.

"I take it the Sheikah do not like visitors," Link quips.

Sheik turns to face Link, a slight nod. "These are difficult times," he responds. "Link," he motions toward the other man, then scaling the side of the gate to the top, "we must climb, and quickly." He bends low from atop the structure, reaching an arm down for Link to grab a hold of.

Link looks at the Sheikah, perched above, the fabric-interwoven fingers outstretched, inviting him. The hero's mind blanks for a second, a memory.

_Sheik yells, and leans over the ledge with his arm outstretched, hand open and ready to catch the boy on the final stretch of the gap._

Link stares for a moment, focusing on nothing in particular, and with a slight shake of his head, he glances at Sheik, a look of perplexity ghosting his face.

"Link," Sheik urges, waiting. "Take my hand."

"Right," Link acknowledges, and getting a running start, he races towards the gate. Left foot first he scales the side of the wall, gaining enough momentum to reach the top and grasp the Sheikah's open palm.

"Impressive," Sheik murmurs. Link grins and shrugs.

And crouching beside Sheik on top of the massive gate, the two overlook Kakariko Village, taking in the scenery as the sun rises behind the peak of Death Mountain in the distance. Link can only recall his memories of this place, and seeing the landscape - even in its state before his time - issues forth a peace within him. He feels then an awakening of spirit. Almost as if the Goddesses are calling out to him, lending their strength. Link brings his left arm, and rests it on his knee.

"In this moment, I find myself forgetting what awaits us," he says, eyes locked on the rays of light scattering across the rooftops far into the village.

Sheik is quiet at first. "There is no harm in taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of things," he begins, placing his right hand on Link's shoulder softly. "For time has a way.. " he looks at Link, his eyes wavering slightly, the cowl placed around his mouth puffing with each breath, "of taking them from you."

Link takes both of his hands, and rests them on Sheik's shoulders, and leans in very close.

"For once," he is serious for a moment, "I think time is on our side." He then removes his hands, wondering if he has overstepped his bounds, his eyes still on Sheik.

Sheik stares expressionless into Link's eyes as well, contemplative. Both peering at one another, trying to figure each other out. Seconds slow as they do this, asking questions without saying a thing; they look for a hint behind each other's eyes, something that justifies this strange electric sensation they both are feeling. And then without a word, the Sheikah jumps off the gate, landing quietly below on the other side.

Link shakes his head, trying to ease the warm feeling creeping up his neck to his face, and then follows suit, jumping off as well and rolling onto the ground beneath him.

* * *

The breeze whips around the two as they ride swiftly on horseback across Hyrule Field. Link leans forward and sends his horse galloping, yelling joyfully. He looks back at Sheik to find the other man simply shaking his head, continuing on in a steady gait behind him. The sun is bright, already mid-day, and Link finds himself feeling genuinely happy - something he has not felt for quite some time. The state of Hyrule however is not the greatest, as buildings in the far off distance smoke as fires that were set continue burning to completion. He notices Hylian patrol units near the castle; seemingly all races protecting themselves from each other. He sees then Hyrule Castle in the distance, looking a bit different than it did in his time, perhaps not yet officially royally connected due to the absence of a king.

Through all this, surprisingly Link feels centered, focused. He knows that when he returns to his time, it will be his duty then to save Hyrule. That is his main objective, his purpose. The events proceeding now, are out of his control. He has no place in them. He feels sadness briefly in his chest then, as he continues riding across the fields, thinking back to his first day in the market, and the unfortunate and unstoppable series of events that led to his mother's death. How strange it is, to be somewhere and have utter lack of say or power over the events that occur. For if he were to change them.. well, the outcome would be uncertain and potentially catastrophic to himself, in the future if he returns.

'When I return,' Link reassures himself.

And almost as justification, Link sets a determined expression, and kicks his heels to the horse's sides, galloping past the castle and to the desert beyond.

* * *

They ride on until the evening, when they finally dismount and set up camp for the night near a small stream that trails out the western edge of Lake Hylia. Under the canopy of a large tree and the sun beneath the horizon, they build a small fire and lay out woven Sheikah blankets that they had taken with them from the village.

Sheik sits quiet by the fire, unwrapping the white fabric from around his wrists. He flexes his arms in the firelight, relishing the feeling of exposed skin to the night air. Link sits quietly too, watching the Sheikah's every move, and pretending not to. The air is thick between them until Sheik, breaks the silence.

"What is it like?" he asks.

Link pokes at the fire with a branch, not looking up. "What is what like?"

Sheik rests casually, leaning against the trunk of a tree. "Being the hero."

"Well," Link sighs, his chest and shoulders slumping after such a heavy breath, "It's all I know." He shrugs and stops for a moment, thinking, before continuing. "However, I can remember being a child, in the forest. My life was simple then; I played games with the other Kokiri.. we knew not of danger or battle. We never saw any outsiders." He pokes at the fire again with the branch, sending embers into the night sky. "I dreamt of it though, engaging in battle with fierce opponents."

Sheik nods, his lips tensing and eyes squinting slightly before responding. "And then you left the forest?" he asks, carefully.

"I was summoned by the Great Deku Tree to fulfill the prophecy." Link looks up then at the Sheikah, "the same one you spoke of, in the village." He looks down again, but continues speaking. "I ventured forth, leaving the forest for the first time to the sprawling fields of Hyrule. I entered dungeons and fought dangerous creatures.. retrieving stones, for the princess."

"The Princess Zelda?"

"That's the one," he acknowledges, smiling a bit, chuckling to himself. He shakes his head, almost in disbelief of his situation.

Sheik closes his eyes as he leans his head back on the tree. "What is she like?"

Link clears his throat. "She.. is kind and fragile. Adventurous and curious." He shrugs again. "I only met her while we were both children."

"Was she beautiful?"

Link toys with the branch, playing with the thorns. "I suppose you could say she was."

"Did _you_ think she was beautiful?"

Link stops for a moment, thinking. "I.. don't know." He stares off perplexed, an unemotional and disinterested look upon his face at the thought.

Sheik opens his eyes very slightly, peering at the hero. He studies the other man for a moment, and smiles slightly. He closes his eyes then, and changes the subject. "And after you gathered the stones..?"

"I went into the Temple of Time, and lifted the Master Sword from its pedestal."

Sheik waits a moment for Link to continue, but he does not. "Is that all?"

Link stares strangely into the night sky, his eyes glazing over. "There was a very bright light, a very strong magic... and I woke up here, in Hyrule Market, just days ago."

"Link," Sheik starts, folding his arms casually, "how is it that you converse with the literacy of a learned adult, fight with the skills of a hardened warrior, and only have been grown to this age for a mere few days?"

"I wondered that myself," Link says bashfully.

"Have you ever thought, that perhaps you are forgetting something?" Sheik trails.

Link nods slowly. "It is strange actually.. I feel as if I have done things, things which I have no memory of. It is difficult to explain. I've felt it since I awoke."

"Then maybe you are not supposed to remember," Sheik adds, softly.

Link shakes his head, rather roughly. "No.. I don't like the idea of that. If I experienced it then it is my memory to keep." He thinks aloud, "I know there are things.. just like I know I've met you before."

"So you've mentioned."

"Sheik.. what do you think of me?" Link asks, dropping the branch and looking the Sheikah in the eyes.

Sheik stills, pausing. "You are.. unfaulteringly brave and unselfish. You are quick to learn and eager to please. You are.. something not of this world, almost inhuman.. you radiate an energy which I cannot describe. You haven't changed."

Link looks taken aback, head tilting slightly, eyes opening wide. Did he hear that correctly?

Sheik changes the subject quickly. "What do you think of me, Link?"

Link raises his eyebrows, almost at a loss for words. Then, finally after a deep breath, "I feel that you are more than you let on. There is something about you.. I think you are more powerful than the other Sheikah from the village. You can sense things." He pauses. "You are very wise but true to yourself. You are strong and loyal and.. _very_.." He raises his eyebrow, making an approving sound, his cheeks blushing fiercely. He catches himself doing so, and shakes it off. His demeanor then suggests deep thought; an inner battle of sorts. He stands up abruptly and walks to the far edge of their small camp, resting a foot on a large rock, turning his gaze out into the night beyond. His form, lean and muscled, outlined by the luminance from the fire and moonlight above.

Sheik looks over to him, watching wordlessly as Link surveys, his eyes trailing along the perimeters of the hero's body. He senses something off about the hero, however, and it makes him slightly apprehensive of what's to come. "You really do look like the legendary Hero of Time.." he says, words lightly through the air, breaking the silence between them.

Link glances over his shoulder at Sheik, narrowing his eyes and smiling slightly. He says nothing. After a minute or two, he turns fully around, a focused and odd expression set on his face, and bravely saunters towards the other man, keeping his eyes locked on the Sheikah. "And why do you say that?" he asks softly, confidently, still walking ever closer.

Sheik swallows and focuses on unwrapping the fabric around his head, breaking eye contact.

"Do I look like how you imagined?" Link continues. Closer.

Sheik stops briefly, gazing into the firelight. "Imagined.. is not quite the right word." He begins with the fabric again. This is new, the Sheikah thinks as he feels the situation falling out of his control.

"What is the right word?" Link stands now very near, and Sheik can see his boots out of the corner of his eye.

Sheik continues unwrapping the fabric, his arms up, back arching. He takes his time, letting the hero look. Two can play this game. "The legend is passed down from generations and generations. There are depictions of you in books, paintings.." Sheik explains, feigning ignorance.

"That's not what I am asking."

Sheik unwinds the last bit of fabric, hair free from its usual head piece, and he looks to the hero. Not directly in the eyes, but starts at his legs, firm and covered tightly in white, and up.. the hem of his green tunic, that space in between, his belt..

Sheik turns away quickly, breathing deeply. He thinks before responding, knowing full well the events he could be setting in motion. "Are you wondering if I fantasized about the Hero of Time?"

"Fantasiz_ed_?" Link asks, emphasis on the past tense. He crouches, eye level with the Sheikah.

Sheik's eyes remain on the hero's thighs, pressed and thick now against his calf in his current position. "So what you are really asking.." his eyes trail up and into the darkness between Link's legs, "is if I _fantasize_.. about the Hero of Time?"

Link leans forward, looking down to the ground, a second of timidness. "Do you?" He waits for a moment, and brings his eyes up to meet Sheik's.

Their gazes interlock with heated intensity. Their faces begin to near very slowly with uncertainty. It is time in slow motion. Shallow breaths. Then, with noses almost touching, Link takes his fingers to Sheik's cowl, and pulls it down carelessly, exposing the Sheikah's mouth. Link stays there, eyes searching, his lips feathering Sheik's own, an inch apart. Sheik licks his own lips. Almost..

"I don't think you fully comprehend what you are doing," Sheik musters out, pulling away awkwardly, getting up quickly. He turns and stumbles away from the fire, haphazardly walking towards the stream.

Link sits unmoving, eyes cold, wondering if he had gotten the wrong impression all along.

* * *

Shorter chapter this time, but it's necessary for the flow of the next coming parts.

Huge appreciation to those who left feedback, and I'm hoping to hear from more of you as the story progresses.

I just briefly want to mention that this story won't be incredibly long. I feel it is a very moving tale, and it needn't be sweetened with too much filler. All together it comes in at around 30k words.

Thank you for all your support!


	4. 4:00

They take a back route just west of the entrance to Gerudo Valley, avoiding the female guards there that surely would not let them pass. The sun is unfiltered here, heat beating down on the two travelers as they maintain a slow but steady pace atop their horses. The landscape begins to change quickly, from lush greens to reddish rocks; a canyon of sorts, beckoning them into the westlands.

A swift breeze builds every now and then, lifting sand in spirals across the ground and upwards, making it difficult to see, as such makes keeping ones eyes open an unenjoyable task. Link covers his mouth with his right forearm, his bangs drifting into his eyes; another nuisance caused by the tumultuous air. Sheik however rides somewhat more comfortably, his cowl protecting his lungs from the sandy debris.

They ride in silence, none saying a word since last night; the only sounds being the horses' hooves on the solid ground beneath and the wind whistling through the canyon peaks. Sheik leads the way, a few paces in front, while Link stays behind, solemn.

They continue on like this, until the gorge opens and reveals a horizon of golden sand. The hills of this wasteland continue on for as far as the eyes can see, no footsteps present on the many dunes; a landscape untouched stretching into the unknown. Sheik pulls on the reigns, his horse stopping. Link follows suit.

"We walk from here," Sheik says loudly amidst the howling of the winds. He dismounts, patting the horse, motioning for it to pursue its trek back through the canyon. He doesn't look at Link, instead focusing his eyes forward across the desert.

Link dismounts then as well, saying farewell to his horse, and walks, battling the current of air and sand, making his way to stand beside the Sheikah, still covering his mouth. Sheik looks at him, expressionless, and begins unwinding the fabric from one of his wrists. He walks cautiously to the hero, takes the fabric, and starts winding it from the back of Link's head forward, creating a cowl. They are close again now and it is something they have been avoiding since their situation at the camp. Link stares now, mouth covered, his eyes even more so penetrating than before. Intense blue, squinting and narrowing, reading and wondering. Sheik finishes, and hesitates a moment before removing his hands from his task. They remain there, until the Sheikah breaks eye contact, pulling his hands from the back of Link's head, to his neck, and then down his torso. His palms lay on the hero's chest. It is a fleeting moment. Sheik removes them then as if they were magnetic to the other's skin, and turns, walking again towards the expansive horizon, diminishing the action if it were nothing at all.

Link stands still, a hint of an uncontrolled and relieved smile apparent in the slight squint of his eyes. He relishes this for a moment or two, then almost begrudgingly begins his jog towards the Sheikah already in the distance, understanding full well what awaits them in the never-ending dunes of the Haunted Wasteland.

* * *

The Sheikah caravan comes to a halt just southeast of the Gerudo Valley. Tents are unpacked and assembled inside the discreet camp, and the Sheikah warriors busy themselves with tasks in preparation for one of many fights that may or may not come. For now they have mostly eluded the other races, only scuffles from wayfarers too nondescript to even mention. They take what provisions, weapons, and armor from the defeated bodies; nothing special but a small attribute at least.

Zant sits by himself near his own tent, sharpening the dark, curved blade he prefers. He has two of these, which he can wield dually, if he so chooses. Midna is nearby, and she walks beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, signalling her presence.

"Their tracks disappeared back near the castle.." she trails.

Zant says nothing, sharpening still, the slick sound of every pass like a countdown of things to come.

Finally, he says, "How is that possible?"

Midna internally braces herself. "We sent our best tracker out ahead, he informed me that -"

"How can he be the 'best' if he has failed us?" Zant interrupts, calmly.

"Lord, Sheik is adept, he is wise and learned. If he has betrayed us then he would do his utmost to conceal -"

Zant sharpens with one final sweep, one so loud and screeching that Midna backs up, fearful.

"Inform the tracker that he will leave camp now, and continue his search for the missing Sheik and the Hero of Time," Zant begins. "Tell him, that he cannot return until he has found them."

Midna nods officially. "Yes -"

Zant continues, "Tell him, that if he does not find them, he will die."

Midna nods again hesitantly, in her eyes an expression of surprise. She moves backwards slowly, contemplating, before turning around completely, walking aimlessly into the camp.

* * *

The sand beats down seemingly from all directions, gusts so powerful that Link is sure he may be picked up and thrown somewhere far off in the endless dunes.

Tired.. so very tired, his energy waning.

At one point he kneels down to secure his footing and balance, hand reaching into the sand, grabbing onto nothing as it slips through his fingers. He shields his eyes, the wind ravaging through his hair and his clothes, tugging at them, his hat blowing fiercely. He holds tightly to it for he fears he may lose it entirely, which causes him to become unbalanced, and he lands, collapsing into the sand on his side. His eyes flicker shut. Darkness.

Sheik, a few paces ahead, looks behind him, turning quickly. He raises a hand above his eyes, removing the glare from the piercing rays of the relentless sun. For a moment he sees his partner no where in sight.

"Link!" he yells.

He squints his eyes and gaining no visual on the hero, he begins walking back the way he came, ever so slowly as the sand is thick and deep and it surrounds his feet, unwilling to let him venture forward.

He removes his cowl for a second, hoping his voice can project louder without any hindrances. "Link!" he yells again.

No response. He puts his cowl back in place, and trudges onward. He shakes his head as a thought rushes into his mind: _'I shouldn't have acted angry with him.. it was no more his fault than mine. Damnit! I should have stayed close to him. Petty argument, and for what? To hide from him?'_ He curses loudly in a variety of ancient Sheikah ways and continues his search, until finally he spots a green form on the dunes, the sands beginning to cover it like a blanket, trying to bury it into nonexistence.

_No.. _

Sheik stands a moment in horror, and tries to run, the sand unforgiving as it wraps itself around his feet, pulling him down every so often. But it is for naught, and the Sheikah lifts himself up every time, making his way to the fallen hero.

At last he nears him, and he kneels down, grabbing Link by the shoulder, rolling him over on his back. Link's eyes are shut and he appears to be unconscious of sorts. Sheik shakes him, leaning close, urging him to awaken. Link's face is peaceful, and for a minute it makes Sheik feel guilty, trying to pull him back into the chaos that awaits him in reality. Link's hair, matted with sand, sticks to his face. His skin, smooth and soft even with the tiny granules of sand coating his cheek and cowl. Sheik stares longingly in a lapse of time, a moment where his heart reaches up and out into his mind, ensuing a battle inside of him that every Sheikah learns since birth to avoid without question. The pain that he feels then is crippling, he reaches to his chest and leans over, his head resting on Link's chest. He realizes then, that he and the memories from his future self - he cannot deny them, for they exist. Tears are unknown to the Sheikah, and during this internal struggle and epiphany, Sheik begins to know what it must feel like to cry, for he started to.

And in between this strange break in demeanor, he realizes something, as he wishes for the Goddesses to awaken the hero that lay unmoving in the sand.

'Water'.. he thinks internally. He frantically reaches to his side grabbing a leather canteen, which he opens quickly and places close to Link's mouth. He tilts it and feels relief, which is mistaken, for nothing comes out of the spout. He shakes it angrily before throwing it down beside him, lifting his head up to the sky which cannot be seen, and he pleads to the Three who reside there. And when he is done, he lifts the hero up and over his shoulder, and begins walking again through the storm, hoping that the Goddesses will answer his prayers.

* * *

Nighttime creeps up on the wandering Sheikah, who continues to trudge on as his keen senses elude him in the darkness that begins to settle on the wasteland. It is starting to become very cold, the once sweltering sun now replaced with icy moonlight. The wind has died down, the whistling of the torrent now quiet, a low howling echoing throughout the dunes. Sheik carries on, every once in a while losing footing, leaning heavily, struggling to keep his hold on the hero who remains slumped over his shoulder.

And when he feels as if he can go no further - that's when he sees it, a light in the sky, blue and glowing, like a meteor traveling through the expanse. He watches it, as it sparks and falls quickly, leaving a trail behind it as it shoots through the night sky. He feels invigorated, feels a strong inclination to follow it. So he musters his remaining strength, and pushes onward, steadily trekking through the sand. The light shoots north and cascades downward slightly left, falling from the sky and landing in the distance, light emanating up; a beacon.

It seems so far, but Sheik is determined. At last, when he does not doubt his limits and feels that he may die of exhaustion at that very moment, he comes upon the beacon, glowing like hope effervescence. And here it is, between two facing rocks, solitary in the wasteland - an oasis. He does not think twice about such a thing being false, for if it was, it will be the death of them both. So he rushes over to the pool of water, removes Link gently from his shoulder, fills the canteen quickly, and lowers the makeshift cowl. He then positions it between Link's parched lips and pours, water trickling down the hero's lips, removing the sand that had settled there from their long journey. He brings Link forward, holding him tightly to his chest, rocking back and forth, waiting.

That is when he hears it, a voice.

_Nayru loves you.. Sheikah.._

The Goddess, Nayru?

"Nayru," Sheik cries, "I fear all is lost!"

And Nayru does not appear before him, but reassures him nevertheless with her voice.

_Lend yourself to the goddesses, young Sheikah, and continue on your quest._

Sheik understands her request, and it is now on this particular night, that he makes the oath to Nayru in return for his soul, that grants him the blessings and watchful eye of the Goddess, and in exchange he swears to protect the Hero of Time, till his life is forfeit. It is also with this exchange, that Sheik is given a gift; a power both terrible and necessary.

Nayru speaks then, "_And for the Hero of Time," _and a blue orb floats towards the unconscious hero and enters into him, disappearing through his chest. Link awakens, coughing amidst spasms, inhaling air as if it were his first breath ever taken. Sheik waits for him to recover, and ever so gently he pulls Link close again, holding him tightly, his face pressed against the hero's blonde locks, muffling any sort of emotion that wished to present itself. Link deliriously reciprocates by wrapping his arms loosely around Sheik's waist as they sit, letting his weight fall completely, relaxing as much as one can after such circumstances. Link allows his forehead to rest on the Sheikah's shoulder, then takes a hand and grasps onto the other man's hair, fingers combing through and staying there, holding.

"I'm sorry," Link whispers. "I was so tired."

Sheik chokes up, a sound something between a sob and a laugh rushing forth from his lips. "I cannot lose you again," he says seriously, lifting Link's head up to his own.

Link peers into the other's eyes. "Lose me again..?" he asks, curiously.

And Sheik pauses, thinking deeply, assessing all the memories that linger there. He opens his mouth to confess, but stops himself.

"Nothing," he says. "Now is not the time."

* * *

The Sheikah tracker waits a distance away from the two rocks that Sheik and the Hero of Time took shelter between until dawn's first light begins to clear the path in front of him. He proceeds quickly and quietly, making his way eventually to one of the rocks, hiding behind it before peering out and around to the pool of water.

He comes out slowly, stealthily creeping, and in the meantime brandishes a small dagger from its sheath around his thigh. He raises it, readying his stance, and stops before Sheik who remains sleeping on the sand in front of him. He crouches down, grabs the back of Sheik's outfit and pulls him up, arm encircling him, placing the dagger at his throat.

Sheik awakens suddenly without a word, eyes wide, hand gripping the other Sheikah's arm which holds the dagger firmly. Sheik kicks to gain footing, but the sand is slick and he cannot maintain traction. He manages to glance up, catching the other man's eyes.

"Sati," Sheik says in surprise. "Why?"

"Go on," the Sheikah named Sati taunts, "yell for your hero."

Sheik contemplates for a moment about getting Link involved, and feels angry at himself for allowing this situation to unfold without his awareness. He also is surprised to see someone he thought was a confidant, now holding his fate in his hands. He tries to think of a way out, but knows there is no other option. "Link," Sheik says calmly, but in his deep thought prior, he hadn't noticed that Link was in fact, nowhere to be seen.

"Link," Sati jests, "So that is his name?"

"It is of no use to you," Sheik defends, maneuvering.

"I will let Zant decide that for himself when he has the hero bowing before his feet," Sati describes, laughing.

A voice then, from behind them. "That's only if you make it back alive." And from the corner of Sheik's eye, he sees the Master Sword, pointing directly at Sati's throat.

Sheik uses the distraction to his advantage and throws a deku nut to the ground, creating a cloud of smoke. He rushes to Link who waits as the smoke clears, revealing the hero standing strong with the glistening sword of legend. Sheik has a moment then, one that makes him feel very flustered, terribly hot, and antsy between his legs, and he swears at himself for thinking about such things during quite an inopportune time.

"You all right?" Link asks.

"Mm-hmm.."

Then Sati comes out of nowhere, running with full momentum towards Link, dagger poised in front as a shield. Link notices and pushes Sheik out of the way, bringing his sword up, clashing with the dagger mere inches from his face. He strafes to the side, rolling and dodging behind the Sheikah tracker, kicking him in the back. Sati falls forward, losing his footing. Sheik runs forward then, bringing his left leg out, swiftly side-kicking Sati's jaw which sends him tumbling backwards. As he spirals back the other way, Link uses the hilt of his sword to smash him on the side of the face, sending Sati reeling to the ground.

Sati brings a hand to his forehead, wiping the perspiration from it, scowling. He stands and brings out needles, similar to the ones Sheik had used, and throws one Link's way quickly, forcefully. Link's eyes open wide in surprise and he ducks, the needle just missing the top of his head. It continues forward, nicking Sheik in the shoulder as he came up from behind.

Anger. "You.." Sheik growls as blood forms around the sliced skin.

"Sheik!" Link yells. "Another one coming your way!"

Sheik looks up in surprise as Sati throws another in his direction. Link runs toward Sheik, bringing out his shield, blocking the needle as Sheik rolls from behind, out of the way. Link, also dodging now, backflips in the opposite direction, and after landing yells, "What is our plan?"

Sheik, ducking from the onslaught of the needles, manages to answer, "Grab him if you can!"

Link nods in affirmation, and runs toward Sati full speed. Once he gets quite close, he drops to the ground, sliding into Sati's legs, which causes the man to fall back. Link gets up quite quickly, grabbing the Sheikah tracker by the neck, incapacitating him. Link glances toward Sheik, holding Sati's throat in the bend between his forearm and bicep. "How's this?" He smiles, the kind that melts your heart. He catches Sheik staring at him oddly back, intensely, and between their glances something non-verbal is exchanged. A somewhat mutual understanding of their previously unbeknownst magnetism. Link's large grins slowly fades into a tiny smirk, as his eyes become very serious, his lids heavy. He waits patiently and steady with Sati in his strong grasp, his gaze unflinching.

Sheik takes a deep breath and folds his arms across his chest, leaning heavily on one foot. He silently begs Nayru for more self-control.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Sati yells, struggling to break free from Link's grasp.

Sheik walks slowly to the incapacitated man, stopping just before him, his eyes radiating a graveness that Sati seems to understand.

"No, Sheik! Do not dishonor yourself by taking my life! I was wrong.. I -" Sati stutters, desperately.

"Sati.. I don't plan on killing you." And with that, Sheik calls upon the new power bestowed to him by the goddess, and he opens up a portal in the ground; a dark abyss with depths unfathomable. The blackness swirls outward from the space, threads weaving their way around Sati's ankles, crawling up his legs and chest, around his arms. It begins pulling him. Link, in shock, releases his hold on the man. He looks to Sheik for some sort of answer, yet Sheik only stares at the opening before him. If Sati were to try and scream he would not be able to, for the inky weaves wrapped themselves around his mouth. And as he is covered, he begins to dematerialize into bits of twilight, until finally he is dispersed into the portal, becoming the first Sheikah and being, of the Twilight Realm.

* * *

Thank you for your continued readership, and also many thanks to those who were kind enough to leave feedback. Knowing that some are enjoying this story so far makes having written it all the more worthwhile.


	5. 5:00

Another day passes by with no sign of the Sheikah tracker Zant had sent forth to locate the exiled Sheikah and his hero companion.

The caravan now rests in a rocky cave on the outskirts of the Haunted Wasteland, the once jubilant tribe of warriors now quiet, more huddled together than before, waiting for the days to pass when they can truthfully say they are free.

Rumours begin to spread that the Sheikah Sati, was dead.

Albeit not a strong prophet, that is not her specialty - Midna's quality lies in shapeshifting - and Zant orders her to listen in on the tribe's morale in secret. She reports back to him, telling him of their doubting and concerned conversations.

"How dare you?" Zant bellows, grabbing Midna by her throat in a one-handed grasp.

"It is not I who says these things," she pleads, eyes watering.

Zant releases her, tossing her backwards. She falls to the floor, looking up at him, eyes fearful. 'What has he become?' she thinks to herself.

"I am losing my mind, Midna.." he begins, pacing the length of a rug laid out on the cave's interior. "The closer I get to the Triforce," he stops and looks at her, ".. I find I cannot control myself any longer."

She stands hesitantly, walking over to him.

"No," he yells, waving his arm, creating illusionary space between them. She halts, bringing both hands up, promising peace, signaling her desire to understand him.

"Our scouts have overheard the Hylian people.. and their King..." she pauses, taking a deep breath, "he knows we have betrayed what we swore to do. Impa, she.." Midna continues, taking her time, "she is at the castle. She stands beside the royal family. She has sided against us."

Zant says nothing.

"The King has branded us as Interlopers, and as such if we are found we will be destroyed," Midna manages to say, nervously.

Zant looks at Midna fiercely, utter anger apparent. "How do they mean to destroy us?" he barks in response.

"The Goddesses. I have heard that the Goddesses shall banish us.." she says quietly.

He stands still, eyes fading off into nowhere. For a moment, he seems human.

"We must move quickly then," he decides. "No one," he walks to Midna, his face close to hers, "No one can know this news."

She nods and readies to leave, but Zant grabs her hand forcefully, pulling her close once again. "Bring me the scouts you mentioned. I cannot have them informing the others."

A look falls upon Midna's face then, an expression of an unfortunate realization, that she immediately feels guilty for. She relayed their news, after all. And in that moment she wonders if it's all worth it, and she thinks about Sheik and the Hero of Time, wherever they may be, and begins questioning whose side she is on, and why she is on it. She fears it shall be the death of her.

Zant orders to set forth the following morning, anxious to intersect the two runaways and secure the entrance to the Sacred Realm before time, ever fleeting, runs out.

* * *

Just north of the Spirit Temple that lay in the center of the Haunted Wasteland lies an enormous chasm, eroded by centuries of tumultuous weather. It is to this abyss that Link and Sheik travel, for stories have been told of a ruin there, one that was created by the Goddesses themselves. Its purpose is unknown, the only knowledge of it existing in tales passed down; images and words describing a gateway that opens itself to another world. Thus, it has been named the 'Ruins of Another Realm' by the Sheikah, if one were to translate their ancient tongue roughly.

It is turning nightfall, almost two days since their unfortunate encounter with Sati, the Sheikah tracker, when the travelers finally see the beginnings of the large canyon, cutting across the desert, severing it in half. They also see remnants of a disassembled camp, and many footprints leading in the direction of the canyon and to the ruins as well. Sheik kneels to the ground, touching the tracks with his fingertips.

"They have also passed this way," he says, eyes narrowing and focusing on the prints that lead into the distance. He remains there for a moment, silent, until he stands swiftly. "Link, it may be beneficial to ascertain how many we shall be up against, should we encounter them inside the ruins." He looks to the hero, awaiting response.

"You are suggesting we sneak upon them?" Link says warily. Ever since Sheik had sent one of his own through that terrible portal, Link had become a little guarded. He plans to ask him about it.

Sheik nods. "Yes, they shouldn't be too far ahead." And be begins walking, motioning for the hero to follow.

It is dark now and they creep silently, low to the ground, across the sand. "You remind me of someone I once knew," Sheik says softly, not looking toward Link, keeping his eyes searching the horizon.

Link stays close beside him as they continue walking. "I do?" he asks.

"Yes," Sheik answers, still leading the way. They keep close to the large rocks that dot the wasteland, staying behind cover. "I met him while he was very young. He was brave, but inexperienced in the many ways of the world."

Link only listens.

"We trained together for quite some time. It was my duty to make him stronger, smarter. A fierce opponent," Sheik says, carefully telling the story. "He was a very quick learner. He surprised me with his insatiable appetite to progress." He stops, peering between two rocks. He motions Link to follow him as they continue. "He was an intriguing boy, with eyes large enough you could see the vast sea of his feelings and emotions, readily apparent. They were blue, like yours." He looks momentarily into Link's eyes.

"Oh?" Link comments, unsure of how to join in on the conversation. He keeps his right hand on the rocks as they walk to maintain direction.

Sheik breaks the gaze, looking forward. "He grew up quickly. Time is often strange, as it may seem like an eternity, but in the moment, the _right_ moment, it passes in the blink of an eye. He began to teach me things then, things that I was not sure I had the capacity to learn.." He trails then, stopping to scan the horizon ahead. "Look, firelight. We are close to their camp." He points to the distance.

Link makes out scattered torches and tents, not far away. He follows Sheik as they close in on it. "What kind of things..?" Link asks quietly.

Sheik says nothing as they near one of the tents. They stay hidden behind it and some crates stacked beside it. Sheik peers over one quickly before going back into cover.

"Why does this person remind you of me?" Link asks, terribly confused.

"Because you teach me those things too, Link, and I realize now what an important lesson it was, and is." He pauses. "It looks as if most of the village has already left the encampment. I am assuming they are already inside the ruins."

Link gazes quizzically at him. "Why would they be in the ruins?" he asks.

"The ruins house the gateway we travel to. Zant knows that it is there, and with it he surmises he can access the Sacred Realm by passing through it." Sheik looks at Link, squinting his eyes. "He is wrong, of course. Come, let's go." He stands then, heading away from the camp, in the direction of the ruins. Link stands as well and follows him. They continue towards it, scaling the sharp rocks that begin as they near ever forward. In the distance they see an outcropping in the canyon, a pathway made of silvery rock that extends into the center of the chasm that at the end lies a weathered temple, its base a tapered column that heads down into the abyss, a pillar of stone.

"It's there, do you see it?" Sheik announces to his companion, Link taking a quick look at the location in the distance. Sheik lends a helping hand to Link as they venture towards it, both slipping slightly on the jagged and sloping terrain. The wind is strong here, rising up from the canyon, threatening to pull both men into it if they were to lose their footing entirely.

As they near, the haunting atmosphere grows ever apparent. It is unsettlingly quiet, the sky dark except for the myriad of stars, and the structure looms, larger and architecturally more beautiful than anything both have ever seen. When they reach the edge of the canyon and proceed into the outcropping, Link stops to absorb the sight before him.

"How do you know of this place?" he asks, breathlessly, warily. He eyes the Sheikah.

Sheik walks a few paces in front, then stops, catching his breath. "In the very same way I learned of you, Hero of Time." He looks to Link, raising his eyebrows, answering deliberately. "Star charts, also, are as useful as maps, for the stars show you the way even during the darkest of nights, to the oldest most forgotten places that only the ancients have ever been." He raises his eyes to the stars. "It is no small matter that we stand here, now. For it is likely that no one has set foot in this place, for ages."

Link stares at him. "What.. are you?" he asks, chest rising heavily with each breath.

Sheik shakes his head dismissively. "You know what I am," he says, taking off toward the arched pathway.

Link grabs his hand before he can walk any further, pulling him around to face the hero. "You sent one of your own kind to perish through some sort of doorway to another realm! I may not know a lot of the Sheikah, but that kind of power seems -"

"What _do_ you know of the Sheikah, Link?" Sheik asks abruptly. He pulls his hand roughly out of Link's grasp.

"What has gotten into you? Why did you tell me all of that back there at the camp?" Link questions, raising his hands outward in response to his confusion.

Sheik stares, struggling to pick and choose through the hundreds of things going on in his mind.

"I just want to understand you!" Link says loudly in frustration.

Sheik laughs haughtily a bit to himself. "You want to understand me?" he begins, moving closer, "You do not even understand yourself."

"What?" Link asks, forehead creasing, tilting his head. His eyes narrow, reflecting a bit of anger.

Sheik shakes his head and turns, taking off toward the precipice. Link follows him, until they reach the archway that opens up to the pathway leading toward the ruins in the center of the chasm. Sheik stops suddenly, doing nothing for a moment, head downturned. Link halts, waiting. Quickly, Sheik turns around and grabs Link, pushing him towards one of the archway's columns, pinning his back hard against the cold stone. Link grunts as he is forced in place.

"Is this what you want?" Sheik growls, his hands twist around Link's wrists, lifting them up and over the hero's head. "Is it?" He squeezes tightly. He lowers his cowl. This is their game, he realizes. This power-play. It is not the first time.

Link says nothing at first, his gaze fixed and unreadable. He does not struggle. "Is this what _you_ want?" he asks, finally, raising his eyebrows. He searches for an answer. _Do you want me?_

Sheik's eyes radiate, burning fire. "You have no idea.. of what I am going through," Sheik responds breathlessly, self-control waning.

Link remains still, hands held tightly above his head, allowing Sheik to keep him there. He leans forward slightly, bringing his face closer. "Then tell me," he says, his eyes on the Sheikah's mouth.

Sheik swallows, the sight of the hero relinquishing under his control making it difficult for him to remain focused. Sheik shakes his head, a slight sound escaping his lips, a gutteral moan slipping through his resistance.

Link nods knowingly. His lips part. "You confuse me terribly," he admits, his eyes raising to look Sheik in the eyes, his pupils dilating, quivering. He continues, "If you think you will scare me away.. you're wrong.." He breathes heavy, nervous. He looks then like the little boy from Sheik's memories; frightened and trembling, but curious.. and needy.

Sheik furrows his brows and tightens his lips, conflicted thoughts running through his mind at full speed.

_'He is different from the hero I know from my memories.'_

_'No, he is the same. He just does not recall what transpired.'_

_'If you give into him, give into yourself, you will ruin the friendship you both share.'_

_'But time is fleeting and I may never see him again once he steps through the gateway to his own world!'_

He looks at Link, the muscles in his arms taut with tension.. such a tempting predicament, the hero helpless and wanting.

_'I cannot take advantage of him. He knows not what he wants. He is but a youth, confused with himself and which gender he prefers.'_

_'The Princess? Would you rather him with her?"_

_'No.. no no..'_

And he imagines then, the hero scooping the Princess up into his arms, and kissing her passionately amidst the fallen Ganondorf's remains, the Evil King he must destroy in his own time when he should leave this one for the next. He feels a pain in his heart, and anger, and then sadness.. sadness for possibly leading the boy's heart astray.

"You do not want this," he says to Link, his face emanating the terrible subconscious bout he just suffered. He pulls away, letting the hero's hands free.

Link's face changes; anger, frustration creeping onto his features. "Who are you to tell me what I do not want?" he yells.

"Someone.. who knows you very well," Sheik responds calmly, sadly. _Kiss him. Tell him the truth._

"How cute," a voice is then heard from across the pathway, on the far side.

Both men turn to look, compromised in their current predicament.

A Sheikah warrior treads slowly down the pathway with calculated steps. "Is this a good time? Or should I come back later?" the voice, female, jests.

Sheik releases his grip on the hero, scowling while turning fully around, stepping forward carefully through the archway. "You should turn back," Sheik forewarns, yelling across the space between him and the warrior. "I am not in the mood for distractions!"

The female Sheikah continues down the pathway, closing the distance between her and Sheik. "A distraction," she repeats dismissively, "do you consider your death, a mere _distraction_?"

Link makes his way beside Sheik and says coldly, whispering, "They've arrived before us." He keeps somewhat of a distance from his traveling companion, warily watching after what had just ensued between them. He rubs gently at his wrists that were tightly being held by the Sheikah moments before.

Sheik glares, ignoring Link, and instead maintains his focus on the other Sheikah. "It shall not be my death today, for you have caught me at a very bad time and if you would prefer I take my anger out on you," Sheik readies himself, preparing needles, hidden in his palms, "so be it!"

"I'd like to see you try," the female Sheikah responds, taunting with her hands, urging Sheik to a duel.

As the two Sheikah near, Link stays behind and ducks around the column, peering around and silently bringing out the bow he had taken from Kakariko Village. He pulls an arrow from his quiver, runs his fingers along its shaft, and nocks it in place, breathing slowly.

The female begins to run the rest of the pathway's length, brandishing two daggers and holding them crossed before her as a shield. Sheik runs too, deftly along the length of the narrow path as well, waiting for the moment to send a flurry of needles her way. The female jumps as they close in on each other, flipping over and behind Sheik. She pivots and kicks the back of his head, sending Sheik forward, dangerously close to the edge. Sheik curses and rolls back to jump to his feet again, but the female is quick, and she slams her right foot to his throat, keeping him on the ground. Twisting her foot on his skin, she says, "I'd always wondered which you prefered - top or bottom," she laughs, "Now I know."

Link releases his hold on the arrow, sending it slicing through the air. It lands in the center of the female's left calf, which sends her reeling and screaming. Sheik uses this to his advantage, getting up quickly, holding his neck gently. He looks Link's way, cursing from the pain. "I do not need your help!" he yells. Meanwhile the female Sheikah struggles with quickly removing the arrow stuck deeply inside her leg.

"It didn't look that way to me!" Link yells back, pulling another arrow from his quiver.

"Damn you," Sheik says loudly, then returns his focus on the female who, bleeding from her lower leg, tries to stand upright. He nears her, and before performing a spinning kick to her stomach he yells, "I wouldn't be in the mess if it were not for you!" towards Link. She falls to the ground from the impact.

Link shoots an arrow as a response out from behind the column and misses Sheik's arm by centimeters, ripping the fabric.

Sheik turns around and glares, stomping back towards the beginning of the pathway, nearing Link. "Why, _you_.."

The Sheikah female struggles to regain her composure, and looks up to see Sheik walking away from her angrily in the opposite direction. She is confused for a moment.

Sheik nears Link, and grabs his collar, pulling him out of cover. He holds him close and then pushes him forcefully away, shoving him backwards. Link maintains his footing, and retaliates, shoving Sheik back as well. These are not extremely hard shoves and pushes, no, for even though they reach to hurt each other, interlaced with that is a desire to touch. This continues, strong jabs mixed with light touches, back and forth, until they unknowingly make their way out onto the platform again, nearing the female Sheikah who waits, baffled. Sheik grabs roughly for Link's head, yanking his hat off, tossing it to the ground. Link, hair in disarray and eyes wide, reaches for Sheik, tossing his headpiece off as well. Sheik curses and turns, trying to catch it before it falls to the ground. He doesn't and instead decides to shove Link again, this time pushing the hero to the ground. He stands there for a moment, relishing the hero's recumbent state. Sheik then rushes onto him, straddling on his palms and knees. Link runs his fingers through Sheik's hair, messing it, pulling the other's face closer still to his own. Sheik grabs a fistful of Link's collar and tunic, squeezing. They are sprawled out on top of one another, frozen still and out of breath.

The female Sheikah stares in dismay, deciding if she should attack them while they are distracted.

Link stares at the Sheikah, face a deep shade of pink. Sheik leans over him whilst still holding onto the collar, closing in the space between them with his body. _You're losing control, Sheikah._ He brings his mouth to the hero's ear, and whispers, "You're bad for me, Hero."

Link moves his mouth towards Sheik's ear, smiling rebelliously. "You're bad for me, too."

And with that, Sheik releases Link and stands. He turns to the female, walking slowly towards her, menacingly. With a flick of his right hand to the pathway, he opens up the inky portal in front of her. "I tire of you," he says to her, "now go and be with the shadows."

She looks around in surprise and tries to run back towards the ruins, but to no avail, as one by one the blackened strands reach out, winding around her legs. Slowly she is enveloped and eaten into the portal, a single hand reaching out until she is seen no more.

The closing of the portal issues forth a rumbling down the pathway, which causes pieces of its stone structure to begin falling away. Both men realize this and grab their fallen hats quickly. Then they begin running, neither speaking, towards the entrance of the ruins, knowing full well that now they may never leave once they step into its hallowed grounds.

* * *

The entrance crumbles behind them, blocking any sort of escape out of the ancient structure. They stop, out of breath, kneeling, taking a moment to recover. It is dark inside, save for its opened rooftop which rays of moonlight softly enter, cascading down into pinpoints along the ground. Dust and sand cover its broken columns, the room stretching forward, a foyer of sorts with corridors leading right and left in the distance. Glowing bugs, emanating blue, hover near areas of broken structure, the place looking like an ethereal tomb untouched except for by time itself.

"Wonderful," Link muses, looking back at the caved-in entrance, sighing a bit and kicking at a large rock for good measure. It moves none.

Sheik sighs as well, walking away from the hero, into the center of the room. He stands, noticing both pathways leading into the structure, and stands for a moment, thinking.

"I am taking the left path," Sheik says, as he begins towards one of the branching corridors, not stopping to allow Link to follow. _I need to be away from you._

"Have fun," Link adds as the Sheikah's body disappears into the darkness. He shrugs and shakes his head, angry at the other for such immature behavior. He's left now, alone, and the silence creeps up on him. He shivers from the odd feeling this place resonates, and without another thought, he makes his way right, stomping into the darkness as well.

* * *

Sheik notices fresh footprints in the sand covering the floor of the corridor as he slinks through the shadows. He kneels down to investigate them, determining that a few made these marks, judging from the variances in their size. Traps along the walls, dagger and scythes, lay dormant in their alcoves; Sheik warily avoiding these also, any such movement sure to set them loose.

He soon discovers the labyrinth like design of the place, the one simple pathway veering off in lefts and rights, and he is unsure of which to follow. He simply relies on instinct, which is one of his more apt traits, and the trailing footprints to lead him on the correct route.

He silently thinks frustratingly of Link as he ventures forth, cursing him every now and then, whilst feeling guilty about doing so. He makes an agreement then internally to apologize when they reunite further inside the ruins. He blames himself for confusing Link, knowing full well it's not the hero's fault at all. But when he's around him, he feels so easily irritated, because who is he to break the spell that forbids Link from remembering their time together. And there's so much damn, tension.. he's losing control.

A sound then, like a stone doorway sliding shut, echoes down the corridor from somewhere up ahead. Sheik knows his only option is to follow it, but the reality of what seems to be a cat-and-mouse game, is beginning to sink in. He wonders then, just who is following who.

* * *

Link wanders slowly down the hallway, crouching low, stepping lightly on the weathered stone floor. He notices carvings on the ground, slightly raised. He makes an effort to step around them, for activating one could be deadly.

He traverses around spiked blocks, stuck in place along metal tracks, which at one point he assumes slid back and forth, impaling anyone who was less observant in a multitude of painful ways.

Soon the pathway cuts into two, stone steps leading up to a second floor on his left, and in front the path continues straight ahead. He peers around the alcove leading up, and can see nothing, for just like every area of this place, it is shrouded in darkness. He can't help but feel, deliberating between the two, that going up feels a little less gloomy. So without any other way to make up his mind, he begins walking the steps that lead upward. As he walks, he thinks in frustration of Sheik, who abandoned him in the beginning of the ruins. He thinks about the mixed-signals he has been receiving from his traveling companion, he thinks of the heated fight and of earlier, the touches and glances that surely meant..

The thought terrifies him. The thought entices him.

He makes it to the final step, and enters another corridor darker than the last. His heart begins to beat faster now, wondering how much longer he must feel his way in the shadows. He is anxious and claustrophobic, terrified that he may step on a trap he cannot see.

He makes out footsteps then behind him, and he turns but to no avail, for his eyes have not adjusted to the darkness.

"Please forgive me," he hears, and then, from somewhere behind him an object comes crashing down and onto his head, and after yelling very loudly from pain and surprise, he is knocked unconscious.

* * *

Nearing the end, now. As always, huge thanks to those who have left me feedback, and thank you also to those who have taken the time to read this story so far. I hope to see you all at the finale.


	6. 6:00

Midna drags Link's lifeless form down a lower tunnel and into a smaller corridor. There she continues, and pulls him into a cell. On the wall she props him up, lifting his hands up and into shackles chained to the stone. She looks at his face briefly, and with a delicate finger she traces the curve of his cheek. "I'm sorry," she says and sighs. Quickly she gets up and returns to the hallway, moving the thin layer of sand on the floor so it's covered evenly, and then makes careful footprints in it, leading from the opening of the hallway to the cell.

She strafes the walls heading back down the corridor, and re-enters Link's cell. She leans down and searches him, noticing a small leather pouch on his side. She opens it, noticing an empty bottle inside. She reaches for her own bag, pulling out a bottle of her own, containing a very small amount of red potion. She replaces Link's bottle with her's, and with a fleeting and saddened glance she acknowledges him, before stealthily returning to the shadows.

* * *

Sheik stops as he hears a terrifying yell echo through the ruins. His heart races. He recognizes the voice.

Link?

He deliberates running back the way he came, but judging as how close Link sounded, he begins running forward, jumping over traps and and tripped wires, praying for a possibility that the two sections somehow connect.

He continues, the corridor seemingly never-ending. Finally, an alcove on his right appears, with steps leading up to a second level. Without another guess he leaps up them, and igniting a flame within his fingertips, he makes his way onward.

Cobwebs cover the ceiling and trail down the walls, and occasionally Sheik has to rip through them to continue. He shakes his head, as this is not a good indication of what is residing here.

With every step, he is pained more and more over his companion. He realizes now, that he sent Link on his own with no way to see in the persistent darkness. He curses at himself, and deep worry now shoots through him, as he fears the worst for Link and what might have happened to him. He thinks about all the things he should have done, should have said, even if at the time he weren't to show him or tell him.

_'I've given my life for you, hero.'_

Eventually he reaches an opening in the floor, one so nondescript he almost falls into it. He steadies himself, then leans over, lowering the flame into the hole.

Appearing below him, is another hallway of sorts, but in this one he notices cells, their entrances blocked by large gates. A dungeon, he figures, and peering more closely he discerns fresh footprints on the dusty floors. His heart jumps at this, and he leaps down quietly through the opening, landing softly on the ground beneath.

He walks cautiously, leaning in with his light source at each cell he passes by. It's eerie here and his footsteps, although very quiet, still echo a bit with each movement forward. The cells are empty thus far, with one remaining to the left to peer into before the hallway slants down, steps leading into an adjacent room. He looks into the cell, moving his hand through the bars, the flame dancing on the walls of the confined space.

He gasps as he sees a figure chained to the wall, arms up and above the head, locked in shackles. The form's green outfit torn at the shoulders, blonde hair clumped in pieces, some stuck to blood that had trickled down the forehead, now dry. The head is downturned, hanging lifeless.

"Fuck," Sheik spits out in its relative Sheikah translation, and he grasps at the bars, searching for any that are weathered enough to break free. None are, and he looks up above them, noticing an airway directly above, small but large enough for him to fit through. He leaps up and pulls himself into it, crawling through and landing on the other side. He rushes forward on his knees, crawling to the body that hangs motionless before him against the center wall.

"Link," Sheik whispers, lifting the hero's head up. "Link!" His eyes are shut, unmoving. He realizes then that he had been hit on the back of his head with force. He lets go and places his fingers at Link's neck, feeling for a pulse. One is there, but barely. In a moment of desperation, he searches through Link's bag, surprised that it's still on him, and finds little more than a drop of red potion in a sealed jar. He takes it, uncorking it, and lifts Link's head up. Sheik puts the jar to the other's slightly parted lips, and tilts it, the red liquid slowly trailing its way down and out the opening. It is such a trivial amount.

Sheik waits, resting on his knees. He looks up and imagines the night sky, sending a message to Nayru for guidance. He feels very much alone however, and he fears he has already asked too much of the Goddess.

A thought rushes forth into his mind, a memory:

_"Sometimes I would go to the room with stars and practice without you." Link holds his ocarina tightly._

Sheik feels for the satchel on his back.

_"I thought, maybe there is a song that could return someone somewhere, or bring someone to another place."_

He brings out his lyre from it, placing it into his lap.

_"For when the time comes that one of us needs to return to each other quickly.. we'll play the Prelude of Light."_

Sheik places his fingers on the strings, and plays, plays the melody created by the hero for one another, from a time both experienced and from somewhere in future's expanse.

He plays each bar, resting a moment before playing again, waiting for an answer to illicit itself from Link's lifeless form. Time seems to drag on without hope, until he sees movement and slight rattling of the chains.

"Return to me," Sheik says.

* * *

The melody is heard slightly through his subconscious, wafting in through a slow current, dissonant as it pierces in succession at his cerebral cortex. It blanks out his vision and takes him to another place; his mind transporting out-of-body through the sound waves. Then, out of the blackness comes visions, blurry at first. It begins like living life in triple the speed, images flashing and bits and pieces of dialogue playing out in no coherent order. The memories overlay, actions.. conversations, all tightly grouping together in jumbled synchronicity.

He painfully relives seven years of his life in seconds, though to Link, it seems as if he is in a perpetual flashback. Memories unknown to him, things he lived that were wiped away, dramatize themselves beneath his eyelids; a visual feeding tube forcing the information at an incomprehensible rate.

_A dark place.. a cold and lonely maze of rooms, hundreds of them. Flames, masked figures staring at him seemingly with no eyes. A tiny body, his own, trembling.. afraid. Impa.. Impa is there, but she leaves him. Why did she leave?_

_He is being pulled down a twisted hallway, eyes of the Sheikah on the walls, laughing at him. Then a room, in it he remembers the smell of incense, it's very strong. A man sits in the center, his eyes, they're red like fire, like blood. He taunts him, and he is tall and very serious and not friendly at all._

_He's left with this man._

_'Sheik' he says._

_And it's just the two of them._

_'You must remain here until you are seventeen years of age,' he's told, and he cries and wants to die. But the man Sheik visits him, talks to him, comforts him. Teaching him in the shadows, he is like a ninja; fast, slithering through corridors and hiding on the ceiling. He's not so scary anymore._

_They fight but then he falls onto Sheik and stays there, crying and apologizing, not letting go. He smells the man, buries his nose into his hair. He smells like labdanum, myrrh and sweet rush; heady and ancient and a little bit like honey. He wants to belong to him. He's so very sorry._

_They are playing music in a room. It's foggy and painted in blacks and greens, stars up above. It feels like the forest. 'Remember these songs,' he says. A golden lyre, fingers strumming. They play together, the melodies clear to Link. The bolero, the requiem, the serenade. A heated touch, he's reaching out to Sheik, wanting to feel the electricity in his fingertips. Denial. Sheik's leaving. Don't leave too._

_Nausea then, feelings he's sure he isn't supposed to be having. He's given a Sheikah uniform. Will Sheik like him more this way? They train, and he tries very hard to impress. He's older now, he's growing.. he lusts for his teacher. It's insatiable. Will Sheik hate him for it? What would he say? He's terrified at the thought._

_He ages so quickly and Sheik talks to him differently now. Respect filters through his cold exterior. A mirror is handed to him. He sees himself looking at his own reflection, young and naive. He must be only fifteen. Sheik is gentle with him. He watches him speak but hears no sound come out. He's teaching Sheik a song then. Link plays for him, a melody interlaced with his own secret desire. A song to reunite them, a song that binds. The Prelude of Light, he calls it, a song to trick time._

_They fight as grown men, heated. Everything is glowing in red. He slams Sheik down, he wants to hurt him, make him bleed. He wants Sheik to hurt him too, wants to feel the pain so deliciously inflicted. He wants to devour him, encompass him, he wants to do things he doesn't understand. He throbs and groans with each pass of Sheik's dagger, wanting it to slice his very soul._

_No.._

_It's tender and they are sitting beside one another. Sheik is talking, 'letting go', it sounds like he says. The man is holding a mirror then and his cowl is gone, his lips moving very slowly. Link wants to kiss him, but he is embarrassed, afraid of rejection. Afraid that he wants it at all. Their world starts shattering, walls start breaking. He sees the man dissolving away with the world. He runs and its chaos, being shook like a toy in the hands of a child._

_It's all fading and it's beautiful and terrible at the same time, and Sheik is there.. staring at him. Sheik embraces him. He feels the other's lips on his own and it's the most amazing feeling in the world; heightening his senses to a level he was unaware could be felt. He feels love. And then he's lifting.. and Sheik is watching.. and the world is disappearing.. _

_until there is no more._

* * *

Link groans, muffled, as he tries to raise his head. He speaks then, voice cracking. "The.. Prelude.. of Light." His legs struggle against the floor, yet he is too weak to continue, and thus, gives up.

Sheik's eyes open wide, and while nodding slightly he replies, "Yes..." Cautious.

Link tries to lift his head again, and this time he is able to. Through half-opened eyes he says, "The melody.. to return me to you." His eyes glaze over, tears forming, shock and complete understanding washing over his face. He begins breathing heavily, terribly upset and squirms forcefully, trying to free himself from his bonds. "Are you real?" he asks.

Sheik sets his lyre down, and in one swift motion he moves toward the hero, and removes his cowl. Link leans his head forward, nuzzling and feeling the other man. Sheik then holds Link's head in his hand, while using his other to carefully brush the stray strands of hair from out of the hero's eyes.

Link says, "I know you." His voice trembles.

Sheik looks at him. "I know you, too." Intense.

And with this, Sheik moves his lips towards Link's, brushing them carefully with his own. Waiting for that silent and physical response to his approach, he lingers there. Link's lips open slightly, and Sheik moves in, sealing their mouths together. He leans into him, gentle but with need, and Link kisses back, hands still chained to the wall. The kiss is frantic and messy, the two devouring each other, all the lost time rushing forth to a single moment. Link's arms flex around the shackles as he tries to release them but cannot. "Sheik".. the name mumbles out from Link's lips every so often, however muffled from the other's lips upon his own.

They separate for a moment to take a breath, and Link swallows while saying deeply, "I've wanted this.." And his eyes take in the other man, roaming and filled with intensity and need. Sheik breathes heavily, just staring in somewhat disbelief into the hero's gaze, his eyes unflinching, unmoving, insatiable.

Link then leans forward as much as he can, kissing the Sheikah again, slight moans issuing forth from his lips. Sheik moves on top of Link whilst doing so, straddling the hero's legs, running his hands up and down Link's sides. Their breathing is heavy still, and Link stuggles to break free from his restraints, the chains rattling as he does so. Sheik hurriedly brings his right hand down, and in between Link's legs, cupping hard. Link jolts a bit, legs sliding up, his head falling back against the wall, eyes closing. He moans deliciously - shackled and unable to move. He mumbles incoherently, unable to form any words.

Sheik feels and rubs, tantalizing him, enjoying far too much what he holds in his hand. He's large and Sheik wants it, wants all of him; the desire comes crashing down upon him, relentlessly so. However, their current predicament, the possibility of someone finding them, rushes forth into his mind. He can't have both of them captured!

Sheik woefully abandons the hero's rock-hard erection and brings his hands up to the shackles that prevent Link from escaping. Link watches intensely as Sheik leans over him, trying to figure out a way to unlock them. He pulls a needle from the wrappings around his wrist, and begins forcing the lock. Surprisingly, the hinge breaks free, releasing one of the hero's hands. Instantly, Link brings his free hand to the Sheikah, touching him firmly, wandering. Sheik jumps at this, biting his lower lip in concentration as he moves towards Link's other still-restrained hand. Sheik feels his knees weakening as the glorious hands have their way with him, and the hero notices this as well, smiling deviously.

"You have no idea what images your outfit brought to my thirteen year old mind," Link recalls aloud, feigning innocence. His eyes, ravaging the Sheikah man's form.

Sheik blushes fiercely, but attempts to negate the comment. "I am trying to concentrate."

The second lock breaks loose, and Link bolts forward, throwing the Sheikah down. Link leans over him, both hands propped beside Sheik's head. He stares intensely at the Sheikah, breathing heavily. He lowers his body down to the other man's form pressing them together, and brings his right thigh in between Sheik's legs, rubbing firmly, still kissing him hungrily. Sheik melts, all restraint gone as he opens his legs wider and allows this, mind somewhere in the heavens where he had longed for the Hero of Time, and could never have him.

Link stops, face close to Sheik's, and says breathily, "We've got to get out of here. Together."

Sheik only looks and replies, "I know. We will." '_You will',_ he thinks to himself with uncertainty.

They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, until both get up reluctantly, with Sheik heading out first, up and out the airway. He turns back toward the hero and says, "We'll continue this.. later." He lifts his cowl over his mouth and eyes Link, giving him a once-over before jumping down, disappearing on the other side.

* * *

The room is vast and opens up halfway to the night sky. On a ledge overlooking the canyon, lies a large carving atop a pedestal. Behind it, an open platform with a mechanism. Inside it, nothing.

Zant paces near the pedestal, hand to his forehead, grumbling underneath his breath. "Where are they?" he bellows.

Midna walks casually beside him. "I've secured the hero in the cells. It's only a matter of time until -"

"Someone get him!" Zant yells in frustration.

His voice echoes throughout the large room. A few of the Sheikah turn to look at one another, before scrambling out, into the shadows.

"Where is Sheik?" he demands.

Midna walks to the vista, and stares out at the stars. "He is here," she says.

Zant turns to her angrily, however she continues speaking. "There is only one way out of the cells. Once Sheik finds him, the pathway will lead them directly to you, my lord. There is no way back."

"It's only a matter of time, then," he says and he walks forward, kneeling before the pedestal. He summons magic then, something dark and powerful. It radiates around him as he meditates in it, building its energy for what awaits when the two tread into his domain.

* * *

The two dart out the hallway running briskly through the corridors, Sheik leading the way, warning Link of any danger that they must avoid. There is an air about them both now, something special and tangible and rediscovered.

"You knew, this whole time?" Link calls out while running, his stomach still doing somersaults.

Sheik doesn't look back, but responds, "I did.."

Link keeps up his pace, but feels terrible all of a sudden. The thought slows him down. "I'm sorry.." he says, coming now to a halt.

Sheik looks quickly behind him, realizing the hero has stopped, and he turns back, jogging toward him. "You weren't supposed to remember. It is not your fault," he says.

Link hunches over, out of breath. "Did you want me to remember?" he asks, curiously.

Sheik wants to turn and continue running, avoiding the question entirely, like he is used to doing, protecting his emotions with a barrier. But instead he resists the habit, for he knew from his future self, that time is of the essence. And who knows what fate awaits them in this dreary place. He takes a deep breath, looking Link straight in the eyes, and says, "I could only hope that you would," and he urges Link to continue onward, motioning with his hands. Cowl down, Sheik smiles confidently, one that is true and clear to Link, who then smiles in return, returning to Sheik's side as they push on.

"We need to focus," Sheik reminds Link, who is wearing a grin that won't let up.

"I know," Link says, still smiling, "I'm sorry." While eyeing Sheik mischievously, he lets out a loud chuckle, and races in front of the other man.

The hallway eventually opens up into a large room, moonlight streaming in from the north, where the structure cuts away creating a stunning vista beyond. Columns and archways, what are left of them anyway, encircle the room, giving it an important and ethereal air.

Link walks in carefully, smile fading as he feels the negative energy the room evokes.

"Link, stop," Sheik warns, stretching an arm out, halting the other man. Sheik's eyes dart nervously to the shadowed corners, feeling a presence within them. "This is it," he speaks to Link without turning to face him. His eyes look sideways to the hero, relaying to him what he senses to come.

Link's expression is serious, and he nods bravely.

_'Zant and I are one of the same, both Sheikah of the shadows. He will read my every move,' _Sheik says within Link's mind. _'He will not be able to read you, Hero of Time. That is why he fears you.' _Sheik nods to Link subtly, his lips set firm. And with his eyes he thanks him, the hero, for everything he has done in the past and will do tonight.

Link takes on another aura, and with his chin down, he looks up at the Sheikah, his blue eyes fierce and powerful. His body tenses and he becomes the warrior he is in every sense of the word, strong and fearless. He faces Sheik now not just as Link, but as the Hero of Time, and putting a hand on the man's shoulder, he speaks genuinely, from the heart.

"I would do anything for you," Link says.

He steps closer still, bringing his other hand on Sheik's opposite shoulder. Link now stands before him, holding him tight. "I shall rescue _you_ now, Sheik of the Sheikah, like all of the times you have rescued me." He stops for a moment thinking, then continues. "I taught you how to love, Sheik, by the way. I remember." And he smiles, lips set tight. Sheik stands, red eyes peering into blue, communicating things between them that only they know and hear alone.

They turn, facing onward, taking the initial step into the last chapter of their journey here. And such dire times, they are.

* * *

Midna creeps through the shadows of the perimeter of the room, watching the two men carefully as they enter the main hall. She signals the remaining Sheikah to hold back, and they wait as well for their time to fight. Some glance at each other nervously, for their enemy tonight is none other than one of their own, and the hero of legend. Some already guess their fate.

She waits until the two reach the center, and that is when she reveals herself, unfolding from the shadows and stepping before them. Sheik remains still and calm, his entire face exposed and serious, unflinching, unemotional. Link slides the Master Sword from its sheath cleanly, and keeps it low at his side, ready.

"So here are the two runaways," she begins, walking slowly towards them. "Sheik, did you lose your cowl or have you just disregarded it as being a nuisance for making out with the Hero of Time?" It's odd that her taunts are both slightly malicious, and also downright curious.

"Hello, Midna," Sheik drawls, ignoring her.

"Well he is delicious, but I don't think he likes me," she continues, pouting. "Now I realize why. Such a shame."

Sheik sighs deeply, somewhat annoyed. "You do not need to act this way," he urges. "This isn't the Midna I know; the Midna I regard as a friend."

She is close to Sheik now, circling him and the hero, slowly. "Our friendship ended when you chose to abandon your people," she says, icily.

"It saddens me to see the corrupt influence Zant has had over you," Sheik adds mournfully. "You must know, somewhere beyond the veil he has shrouded you with, that you walk the wrong path."

"Don't try to save me," she says, getting slightly visibly upset.

Link watches the two interact, his grip on the hilt of the Master Sword, firm and unrelenting.

"You may think you have no way out," Sheik begins, "but there is always another route, always another path we can take."

Midna stops, facing Sheik, head downturned. "Do not school me on the just ways of the world," she says quietly, and with that she looks up and begins walking slowly backward, raising her right hand to the shadows. "Sheikah.. it is time." On her beckoned call, warriors begin emerging from the corners, predatorily stalking forward, until ten or more encircle Link and Sheik in the center of the room. Both men look at each other and then quickly around the room, their heads turning, formulating a plan as quickly as possible.

_'It is a distraction,' _Sheik silently notifies Link, who looks at him curiously in response.

And then all is clear as Zant steps forth from the north-most point, stopping at the pedestal, grandiose before him. He stands, dark and evil, almost akin to Ganondorf himself. In this moment, two things happen:

The Sheikah warriors dispense onto Sheik, and Link begins walking slowly toward Zant, Master Sword poised.

Link avoids the fray, tentatively looking back to Sheik, who in turn gives him a nod to go forward. He steps with calculation, his gaze locked on the enemy looming in the near distance. Zant raises both of his arms up at his sides, beckoning the Hero of Time. He laughs, his cruel mouth contorting, teeth sharp and vile.

Sheik aligns his needles to his knuckles, and begins elbow-jabbing the other Sheikah, coming back around for a final strike with the blades attached to his hands. They come at him ferociously, the once wise and noble Sheikah tribe, no more. Sheik moves quickly, darting and dodging, kicking low. Midna stands on the sidelines, trying to keep the horror from showing on her face.

Link reaches Zant, stopping a few paces short. His feet stand strong as he awaits the duel, he regards the Sheikah Lord unwaveringly, his breaths even, his mind formidable. It has come to this, he thinks, and he is both sad and relieved at once.

"Hero of Time," Zant begins, "we meet again."

"Let's get this over with," Link responds, coldly.

Zant laughs. "Oh no.. you won't be fighting me yet," he starts, "for I have found someone perfect for breaking the hero of legend into pieces so small they will be scattered across time for all eternity." He smiles, and quickly adds, "Let's see what breaks first, shall we? Your bones, _or your heart_?"

And then, a shape forms off to the right, glowing green specks of light dissolving into a somewhat human shape. It is huddled low to the ground, and as it materializes, it grows, standing tall. Link watches as his foe is presented to him, and he cautiously observes as the form shapes into a woman.

"Don't kill your mother _again_, Hero of Time. That would be.. unfortunate," Zant laughs now, uncontrollably.

Sheik hears this, and he turns and listens in slow-motion, eyes wide as he sees the figure Zant has procured from the dead.

She is familiar at first, the same woman Link had met in the market not long ago, and she is beautiful, alive. Link tilts his head and cautiously steps toward her, hand outstretched, as if to help. She reaches out as well, bright blonde hair curling around her like it has a life of its own. But she screams then, a scream so earth-shattering it shakes the room. It's deafening and Link brings his hands to his ears in defense.

Sheik ducks and brings both hands up, hard under another Sheikah warrior's jaw. He turns, yelling to Link, "She is not your mother! Do not listen to his lies!"

Link is frozen for a moment, wanting to run to her and save her like he was unable to do the first time. Zant laughs menacingly as Link readies his sword hesitantly. He looks behind him, to Sheik, who in turn stares into his eyes from across the fray. _'You can do this,' _Sheik says to him silently. And in that second, Link thinks back to his time with Sheik that he had forgotten, the training that his companion had so unrelentlessly supplied him. He feels it, the vigor, the anger returning, and he yells as he runs forward, Master Sword pointed to her chest.

Sheik is crouching low, several of the other Sheikah warriors gravely injured, in heaps on the floor. He surveys quickly who remains, just a few, and he stands, rising slowly. He flexes his right palm facedown, and a black orb fuses itself from out of it, a static charge of elemental twilight. He closes his eyes and focuses the energy, it then pooling onto the ground before him. There it opens up, the black and otherworldly portal; Sheik, intent on finishing what he has been given the task to do. The injured Sheikah are picked by the inky weaves that tangle free from this, and they are slowly pulled by their feet or arms into the pit. The few who remain unscathed, they see this horror. The tales were true. They try to run but are no match, for the portal chooses them too, grabbing them and dragging them inwards.

Midna stares in horror as her fellow Sheikah are eaten by the twilight. She yells loudly and makes for Sheik, running to him as he concentrates on the portal. He looks to her quickly, and remaining unphased, he lifts his right hand up momentarily towards her, sending a purplish-black mass her way. It hits her in the stomach, sending her reeling backwards. It charges around her body, pixelated bits trying to dot out her existence.

"What is this?!" she screams as she frantically tries to get it off her.

"The Twilight Realm," Sheik begins, letting go of the portal and walking towards her, "the Goddesses have created it as punishment for the betrayers of the royal family and of Hyrule."

She looks at him, terrified. "And you have the power to open and close it as you choose?" She is confused, shaking her head.

"It fills the part of me that I surrendered to them. It replaces my soul.. which was given to them to aid the Hero of Time." He says this unemotionally, only looking at her sadly.

Her eyes shake. "Am I.. to go there as well?" she asks.

"Not yet. There is something you must do for me first."

* * *

The woman, once created to look like his mother, now rears its head, monstrous and cruel after suffering tremendous blows from the Master Sword. Link jumps through the air, bringing the sword again up and through her, ignoring the terrifying screams that issue forth. The magic that created her flickers, losing its potency, and Link lands, out of breath. He looks to his shoulder momentarily to see a blackened gash across it, the pain pulsates. He winces, then tries to shake the pain off. The creature continues to scream before dissolving away, falling to the ground like grains of sand.

_'Or ashes..' _Link wonders, mournfully.

Zant yells angrily, it echoing throughout the room, quaking the walls and the floor beneath. Link remains standing near where he fought the creature, and Sheik runs over to him quickly. The Sheikah then kneels, touching the dust that lay where it had once been. He picks up a bit, feeling it between his fingertips. "It is only magic, Link, and that is all it ever was," Sheik says, assuredly.

"Let's finish this, then," Link says, nodding to the Sheikah.

Sheik turns toward the other end of the large room. "Midna," he calls.

She comes, running briskly over, looking fearful yet at peace at the same time. She nods without a word and raises her arm forward, almost as if she is to take Sheik's hand. She looks to Link. "I've had a change of heart," she says. And Link watches nervously as an inky charge courses through Sheik's arm, and as he touches his fingers to hers, it transmits. Midna yells in pain as it cripples her, pulsating up her arm and around her form. It begins changing her, taking her halfway between human and shadow.

"Go!" Sheik cries, and she does, staggering toward Zant at the north end of the room.

It seems so far for her, and the pain is immense, but she carries on, the twilight surging within her.

"She will die!" Link says to Sheik, grabbing his arm.

Sheik shakes his head. "She will go to the twilight either way. She is only halfway there, now," he says looking to Link, his eyes saying _'please understand this'._

Zant stands defiantly still, bulked and laughing at the woman who staggers towards him. "You fool!" he yells. And the ceiling and columns begin to shake and crumble, tearing apart at the seams from his anger manifested.

"N-no," she says, clutching at her heart and shaking her head defiantly, "_you _brought as all to our deaths! It is you who is the fool!" And with this she shuts her eyes and lets the twilight grow, until it bursts from her and outward, a dazzling and horrifying spectacle of purples and whites and blacks. It races toward Zant and latches onto him, seizing him and squeezing him. He yells loudly, twitching and writhing in agony.

"Now, Link!" says Sheik, motioning to the Master Sword. "Send him to the shadows."

And Link understands, bracing the sword, pulling it back and holding it firm, as he races towards the crippled Sheikah Lord.

Midna gets up, twilight still detectable on her but lessened nonetheless, and she runs to the large pedestal. From her satchel she brings forth stone tablets, and fits them in place onto it. She keeps her hand upon it, powering it. "The key to the Sacred Realm," she says to herself reminiscent, and the pedestal vibrates, sending power to the mechanical structure behind it. The gears rotate, creating electricity, until a clockwork series of large round portals open, blue and shining alive with light. "The Gate of Time," she says in wonder, blues from the doorway reflecting in her eyes.

Link brings the Master Sword's blade into Zant's face and through his brain, twisting it deep. Zant cried but no longer, as he falls to his knees, unmoving. The twilight races through the metal of Link's sword, and it electrifies him. He yells in pain as it sends him reeling backwards, sending him hard to the stone floor.

"Come!" Midna yells from the gateway, motioning with her hand for the hero and Sheik to enter its rotating door as she keeps it open. The room continues to crumble, the ruins of the ancient structure dilapitating further as seconds pass.

Sheik runs to Link, helping him up, and they both stagger to the Gate of Time. They stop just before it, Sheik letting go of the hero and using his right hand again to call on the Twilight Realm. The inky portal reopens, reaching out first for Zant, weaving its tendrils around his motionless form. Sheik looks then to Midna, sadly. But before sending her as well, he faces Link.

"Go," he says.

Link begins to move but then stops in surprise. "What?" he says in disbelief.

The twilight portal starts to gravitate toward Midna, weaving its way around her legs, trying to pull her from the pedestal. The rooms shakes still, bits of the floor falling away.

"The twilight is taking her and someone has to keep the gateway open!" Sheik cries hurriedly. "Now go!"

Link shakes his head frantically, teetering on both feet as he knows he has little time to decide between his heart and his mind.

Midna's hand is pulling away from the pedestal as the twilight eats her; she reaches to maintain hold on the gateway, but cannot. Her fingertips stretch, grasping only at the air . Sheik runs over to her and replaces her hand with his own on the tablets. He looks at her, her face barely visible from beneath the inky weaves. "Goodbye, Midna" he says quietly, for what else is there to say? She cannot answer back as she disappears, and finally, is dissolved into nothingness.

Sheik hurriedly looks to Link as he keeps his hand firm on the pedestal. The Gate of Time rotates, glowing, the doorway inside; black with no foreseeable path in sight.

"This isn't how I wanted this to end," Link says desperately.

"I know," Sheik says, voice trembling, but firm. He thinks deeply for a moment, finally saying, "I will always be with you, Hero of Time." He tries to smile. It's fake. "There is no way out of the ruins, and you have your destiny to fulfill. You must go and save Hyrule, Link."

The twilight grows still, not satisfied with Midna, and it creeps onto Sheik moving hungrily. The Sheikah looks down nervously as he sees his time is fading fast; the twilight acting upon its own will. He looks up to Link then again, alarmed. "Go!" he yells.

Link tries to walk towards him but cannot, the twilight mocking him, threatening him. His face, expression full of millions of different thoughts, looks up to Sheik, his eyes wavering.

"I.." he starts.

"Don't," Sheik says, shaking his head, his eyes piercing into Link's.

And Link turns then, unable to reach the Sheikah surrounded by twilight, and heads toward the Gate of Time. He turns his head back sadly to Sheik quickly, hesitating, before stepping through the rotating doorway. His body disappears into dark beyond. However, just as Sheik thinks he is gone, Link's hand reaches back through it, waiting to take Sheik's hand in his own.

Sheik wants to run and take a hold of the hero's hand, but if he is to let go of the pedestal, the doorway will close. Just as he ponders chancing it, he hears Midna's voice through the air.

_"Silly Sheik. Let me help you."_

And out of the twilight appears an impish creature with large eyes, covered in twilight swirls. It floats to the pedestal and replaces Sheik's hand with its own. _"Be with him,"_ it says.

Sheik's heart races as he stares in surprise, then he kicks off the twilight threads that had wrapped themselves around his legs. He runs to the gateway, and takes Link's hand. Sheik looks back to Midna before stepping through, thanking her with the most sincere expression; one of which cannot be explained, but must be seen to understand. She laughs at him, her new form's eyes twinkling. _"So the Hero of Time chooses you, the Last of the Sheikah," _she muses and continues, _"Time has a funny way of working itself out, doesn't it?"_

He smiles at her, happier than he has ever felt in his life, and Link tightens his grip on Sheik's hand and pulls him through, disappearing into the darkness with the Hero of Time..

To a future Hyrule, and the adventure that lies ahead.

Together.

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

Princess Zelda stands before Link, both surrounded by a bright otherwordly whiteness high up in the sky. Far below, Ganondorf had been slain, and Hyrule had been brought peace; Link fulfilling his destiny as the Hero of Time. The princess looks upon him, both relieved and guilty, for she knows what she must do.

"Thanks to you Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Sacred Realm. Thus, peace will once again reign in this world.. for a time," she states quietly, eyes downward. "All the tragedy that has befallen Hyrule was my doing." She meets the hero's gaze, bringing her hands together near her chest. "I was so young.. I could not comprehend the consequences of trying to control the Sacred Realm." She reaches for Link, taking his hands. "I dragged you into it, too."

Link only shakes his head softly. He opens his mouth to speak, but the princess hushes him.

"Now it is time for me to make up for mistakes," she says.

"That's not necessary.." he manages.

Zelda nods, her eyes watering. "You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time," she says. "However.." she pauses, "by doing this, the road between times will be closed.."

Link's eyes open wide. "What does that mean?" he asks.

The princess reaches out her hands, palms face up. "Link, give the ocarina to me." She looks at him sincerely. "As a sage I can return you to your original time with it, so you can regain the seven years you lost. Return to where you are supposed to be, the way you are supposed to be." She waits, watching him.

Link doesn't move, doesn't place the ocarina in her hands.

"I never lost seven years of my life," he says.

Zelda looks at him with a very confused expression. "What do you mean, Link? You were sealed, sleeping for all those years. You missed out on your childhood.. you lost an important part of your life. I cannot live with that."

"You're wrong," he begins, shaking his head gently, smiling. "I was awake, and I was alive, and I learned more then about myself during that time than I ever could have, any other way." He knows she doesn't understand, but he continues anyway. "If it weren't for those seven years, I wouldn't be the hero you know me as today. If it weren't for those seven years, I would never know what it is like to care so deeply, so strongly about someone, that it makes saving the world more bearable because you know that someone is in it."

And Zelda knows he is not talking about her, and she feels lonely, but she smiles nevertheless. "I see," she says. "I asked Sheik to watch over you as you slept. I had no idea the true power of the Sacred Realm, but Impa had advised me it was for the best. Now I realize that you weren't asleep at all, not literally, anyway." She pauses, looking at Link strangely. "You do know he traveled back in time to see you, when you were awakened in the past? He waited for you in the Temple of Time, but you did not appear, so I sent him back myself as soon as I heard. Doing so made him forget some things, but it seems as if he remembered, eventually. The same goes for you, I take it?"

Link laughs softly. "You really are something else." He smiles.

She smiles back warmly, shrugging slightly.

Link raises his right arm to his shoulder, extending his thumb, pointing to the horizon behind him. He looks at it briefly before returning his eyes to her's. "I'm going to go.. now," he says, unsure of how to exit on the princess.

She nods slowly. "Go to him," she says. Then, she walks to Link, bringing her arms around him. "Good luck," she whispers in his ear.

He looks at her warmly, before letting go of her, and he turns, walking into the clouds.

"Link!" Zelda calls out, her hands around her mouth to project her voice.

He stops, turning back around slightly.

"Thank you," she says.

And he waves at her before turning back around, exiting through the misty whiteness, until he disappears from sight.

* * *

Link appears, materializing like vapor near the entrance to the market in Hyrule Field.

The sky is bright, sunny with large white clouds scattered across the horizon. Sheik waits, leaning on one of the columns supporting the drawbridge. Epona waits beside him as well, happily chewing on some grass. Sheik pats the horse gently before sitting atop her, and he leans to his right slightly, outstretching a hand out to Link. The hero is beautiful as he looks at the Sheikah, carefree; the weight of the world behind him. They smile at eachother, time stopping for a moment. He then takes Sheik's hand and mounts Epona, sitting in front of the other man. Sheik rests his head on Link's shoulder, breathing the scent of the forest on him, and puts his arms around the hero's waist. Link then kicks Epona's sides gently, sending her galloping forward, to wherever their journey may take them.

The End.

* * *

Here we are at the conclusion. A long chapter, but purposefully, because I wanted you to feel involved until the very end.

I hope everyone has enjoyed Time I & II, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for taking time out of your busy lives to read them.

I am a huge supporter of the Link/Male Sheik genre here on fanfiction, and I hope my stories will eventually earn a loving spot amongst the other amazing tales other authors have written.

I have a new story in the works; a new adventure for Link and Sheik. Something very different. See you all soon.

Until then!


End file.
